13.8 km below the summit. Starting in reverse order of standings, 157 riders raced the stage. It was sunny and warm, with light cloud cover. Lance Armstrong won, passing Ivan Basso on the road. The huge number of spectators, some estimated over 750,000, seemed to impede the later riders, particularly as the first part of the course was wholly open, and many riders found themselves spat on by their detractors as they struggled to beat their way through the crowd. It would later be revealed that Armstrong had received death threats the day before this stage – something that would have been all too easy to carry out given the open course. Although much looked forward to, the stage was regarded by many as something of a disappointment due to the unmanageability of the crowds. Stage 17 22 July 2004 — Le Bourg-d'Oisans to Le Grand-Bornand, On this, the last big mountain stage, the drama started early on the Col de la Madeleine, the highest climb in the Tour, as a group led by Giberto Simoni was caught just before the summit by Richard Virenque, who gave Simoni a tight chase for the mountain points and for the five thousand Euro prize earmarked for the winner of that climb. Simoni managed to edge it out, though, taking the sprint. As the stage wore on, US Postal led the peloton with typical skill, until the final climb, where the lead break consisted of Armstrong, Ullrich, Basso, Klöden, and Armstrong's support rider Floyd Landis. At the top of the final climb, Armstrong told Landis to go for the win, and Landis took off, but was successfully ridden down by Ullrich, Basso, and Klöden. Klöden took off for the win pulling out what seemed to be a decisive gap in the last kilometre, but Armstrong, determined to compensate for his teammate Landis's loss of the stage, put in a devastating final sprint and got past him at the line for another stage win, and yet more of an advantage over his rivals in the GC. Stage 18 23 July 2004 — Annemasse to Lons-le-Saunier, This stage was 166.5 km and the last in the mountains, it featured only one substantial climb, the cat-2 Col de la Faucille. With the time trial of Stage 19 looming this was a perfect chance for some lower placed riders to get away. The weather was hot and