or down. There were seven categorised climbs, including four in the final 50 km with the additional cat-2 rise to the finish. The biggest climbs were the 10.7 km of the cat-2 Col des Limouches, the 12 km climb of the cat-1 Col de l'Echarasson and the 10.3 km up the cat-2 Col de Chalimont. The day was hot and sunny as 158 riders started the stage (Mayo and Piil abandoned, Piil was injured while Mayo was simply disgusted with his form). As on other mountain stages with a flat(ish) start an early break was allowed to get away. Nine riders led over the first two climbs, chasing them down split the peloton – leaving a sixty-strong group lagging a minute behind. After the breakaway was caught another sprang away – a group of, eventually, 15 riders led by over 3'30" on the third climb. The group included Stuart O'Grady who raced away to win the points of the second intermediate sprint. On the long climb up the Col de l'Echarasson, while the leaders were slowly caught, Ullrich attempted his own break, leading Armstrong by 40" as he went over the summit. He pulled further away over the Col de Carri but as Jens Voigt dropped back from his break-away group to assist Ivan Basso in defending his 2nd overall spot against Ullrich's attack, Armstrong's group quickly caught Ullrich before the sixth climb. Rasmussen and Virenque were only 50" ahead. Armstrong's group caught everyone, and chased down a break by Leipheimer, on the ascent of the Col de Chalimont. Thomas Voeckler was over seven minutes back. On the final climb to the finish the leading group was still nine strong, with 1 km to go it was down to Armstrong, Basso, Klöden, and Ullrich. In the final sprint Armstrong beat Basso, claiming his 20th stage victory and the yellow jersey. Voeckler came in 9'27" down. Stage 16 21 July 2004 — Le Bourg-d'Oisans to Alpe d'Huez, (ITT) This 15.5 km stage was an individual time trial, including the 13.9 km up the twenty-one hairpin bends of the famous hors categorie L'Alpe d'Huez. The mountain had been included in the Tour on over 20 occasions, first in 1952. The stage was dedicated to Italian cyclist Marco Pantani, who had died earlier in 2004. Pantani had set the ascent time record of 36' 50" in the 1995 Tour de France, measured from