humid with a little rain at the start. Just 147 riders started the stage. Some early drama was provided when Italian rider Filippo Simeoni, who has claimed that a doctor with ties to Armstrong had told him how to take performance-enhancing drugs without being caught, tried to join an early (and, as it would turn out, successful) break. Armstrong himself chased him down – unusual for a team leader and yellow jersey, especially since Simeoni was no threat to Armstrong in the overall standings. Armstrong, taking upon himself the self-styled role of 'boss' or 'le patron' of the peloton in the tradition of others in the past such as Bernard Hinault, forced his will and stayed with the break until they got two minutes ahead, at which point the rest of the break asked Simeoni to leave, which he did, followed by Armstrong. Simeoni harshly criticized Armstrong in the press following the stage, while Armstrong maintained that he was protecting the interests of the peloton, and accused Simeoni of trying to destroy professional cycling. Left alone, and with US Postal controlling the peloton, the rest of the break rapidly pulled away. They held a lead of up to 7 minutes until the third climb, after which they moved even further ahead. Their advantage peaked at around 12'00". Into the final 20 km the group of six began to split as the attacks came. With 10 km to the finish Mercado and Garcia-Acosta attacked and made it away, they worked together into the final kilometre, Mercado just winning the sprint – his first ever stage win. The peloton came in 11'29" down led by Thor Hushovd. Stage 19 24 July 2004 — Besançon, (ITT) The final time trial held less suspense this year than it sometimes does, since Armstrong already had such a commanding lead, but Armstrong came in saying he was racing to win. The biggest questions coming in, however, were whether Jan Ullrich would be able to race fast enough to get himself a podium spot, and whether Thomas Voeckler, who managed to hold the yellow jersey for ten days, despite numerous predictions he'd lose it well before that, would hold onto the lead in the young riders classification, which he held with a 45-second lead. Starting with the last place rider, Jimmy Casper, and ending with Armstrong, the riders ran the loop in and out of Besançon. For