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2004 Tour de France
2004 Tour de France news
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A d v e r t i s e m e n t

 News
Stage 20 July 25, 2004
Stage 19 July 24, 2004
Stage 18 July 23, 2004
Stage 17 July 22, 2004
Stage 16 July 21, 2004
Stage 15 July 20, 2004
Stage 14 July 18, 2004
Stage 13 July 17, 2004
Stage 12 July 16, 2004
Stage 11 July 15, 2004
Stage 10 July 14, 2004
Stage 9 July 13, 2004
Stage 8 July 11, 2004
Stage 7 July 10, 2004
Stage 6 July 09, 2004
Stage 5 July 08, 2004
Stage 4: Team Time Trial July 07, 2004
Stage 3 July 06, 2004
Stage 2 July 05, 2004
Stage 1 July 04, 2004
Prologue July 03, 2004
Tour Preview July 02, 2004
Stage 18 June 23, 2004
Stage 17 June 22, 2004
 Tour de France Photos
2004 Tour Photo Gallery #7,
July 26
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2004 Tour Photo Gallery #6,
July 22
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2004 Tour Photo Gallery #5,
July 19
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2004 Tour Photo Gallery #4,
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2004 Tour Photo Gallery #1, July 62004 Tour Photo Gallery #1,
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2004 TOUR DE FRANCE
Stage 15: July 20, 2004

Stage 15: July 20, 2004
Armstrong Sprints to Stage 15 Win, Wears Yellow
Compiled by Outside Online


Armstrong wins Stage 15 and takes the overall lead
Armstrong wins Stage 15
and takes the overall lead
(Beth Schneider)
Five-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong found himself in a familiar color Tuesday. The U.S. Postal team leader won the 113-mile Stage 15 from Valréas to Villard-de-Lans, surging past the likes of Ivan Basso (CSC) and Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile) in the last feet of the stage, and snatching the yellow jersey from Frenchman Thomas Voeckler (Brioches la Boulangere). Voeckler had worn the yellow jersey for 12 days, the most for any Frenchman since 1991. The win marked Armstrong's 16th career stage win at the Tour de France and his 61st yellow jersey overall, moving him into third place in most days in yellow, right behind Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault.

Basso finished second on the day while Ullrich placed third while Andréas Klöden (T-Mobile) and Levi Leipheimer (Rabobank) rounded out the top five. Basso currently stands in second overall, 1:25 behind Armstrong, with Ullrich 6:54 back from the Texan.

It was another grueling day for the Tour, with Euskatel-Euskadi team leader Iban Mayo dropping out of the race before it even started, apparently from fatigue.

We knew he wouldn't finish the stage today, so we decided it was better for him not to start," Euskatel general manager Miguel Madariaga told the BBC.

Mayo was originally thought to be a top contender for the Tour title this year, but after a crash in the first week of the Tour, the Spanish rider fell too far off the primary contenders to be a threat to the likes of Armstrong, Ullrich, and Basso.

Multiple attacks on Tuesday found Richard Virenque (Quick Step-Davitamon) and Mickael Rasmussen (Rabobank) out ahead of the main peloton, garnering a lead of just over a minute.

Although an attack by Ullrich gave the T-Mobile team leader a berth of 1:20 over Armstrong, the German didn't have enough juice to drop him for good.

U.S. Postal gave chase, breaking off a group of riders including Armstrong, Basso, Leipheimer, Floyd Landis (U.S. Postal), José Azevedo (U.S. Postal), Carlos Sastre (CSC), and Jens Voigt (CSC), and closed on the the T-Mobile team leader with about 17 miles left in the race.

A high-powered attack from Armstrong pushed the Texan past Basso and Ullrich to grab him a 20-second time bonus and the win.

Wednesday marks the individual time trial from Bourg d'Oisans to L'Alpe d'Huez, the first-ever individual time trail on the famed mountain. As Armstrong currently stands in first place, he will start last Wednesday.


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