Stage 14ª - 18 July 2004 Lons-le-Saunier (Annemasse)

Gonzalez was strong when he needed to be but a victory in only one of two non-time trial stages in this year's race without a single climb wasn't part of the prognostic for the first Spanish success of the 2003 Tour. Instead of Iban winning on the cols of the Pyrenees, it was Aitor on the flat. Gonzalez was the winner of the Vuelta A Espana in 2002. He arrived at the start of the centenary Tour touted as a rider capable of challenging for the overall title. Aitor is not in that league anymore. But at least he finally gave Spanish fans something to cheer when he crossed the line 25 seconds

Stage 7ª - 10 July 2004 Saint Brieuc (Chateubriand)

On a windy afternoon in Brittany, Fassa Bortolo's Filippo Pozatto sprinted in ahead of Iker Flores (Euskaltel-Euskadi) after 204.5km of hard, fast racing to win Stage Seven of the 2004 Tour De France from Chateaubriant to St.Brieuc on his Pinarello Dogma

Stage 1ª - 4 July 2004 CHARLEROI (Belgio)

CHARLEROI (Belgium), 4 july 2004, Fabian Cancellara might have earned his formidable reputation as a time trial specialist but when threatened by the likes of Hushovd at the intermediate sprints, he had the strength to match The Quicks. Twice Cancellara claimed time bonuses out on the road; he was second to Hushovd then O'Grady in the final two intermediate challenges. And had Fabian not has his way, his yellow jersey would have been bound for Norway.
This is the time of the Tour when every bonus second counts. Hushovd is now just four seconds shy of the overall lead and primed to pounce in the stage to Namur tomorrow. For now, however, Cancellara's dream debut continues.

Cronoprologo - 3 July 2004 LIEGI (Belgio)

LIEGI (Belgium), 3 july 2004, Fabian Cancellara had been tipped by some to make a solid impression in his Tour de France debut. The 23-year-old Swiss rider is a known powerhouse in time trials. It's against the clock that Fabian has earned his two world titles but that was when he was still a junior back in 1998 and 1999. Today Cancellara lived up to his promise and the boy become a man. Racing the 6.1 kilometer time trial course on a windy, overcast day in Liege at an average of 53.560km/h, he beat the best riders in the world to record the third fastest prologue in the history of the race. Unlike other big-name contenders for the overall title, however, the defending champion Lance Armstrong wasn't balked by the technical course. He turned his cranks at an impressive cadence and pushed himself ahead of his rivals to finish within one second of Cancellara's time. It's a clear sign that Lance is ready for what is yet to come in his quest for an historic sixth title. And he must take inspiration from Jan Ullrich's ride today.