Lance raises his arm to signal he has a problem, but time is ticking down and there isn't much time for problems he presses on. 4 laps to go and a mid-way 2 man break. Lance drops back a bit but only temporarily. The hometown Dutch team sees this and closes in. 3 laps to go, to compete.
Lance now has company.
14 on the front with over a 2-minute lead on the peloton. 2 laps to go and the foursome has 19 seconds on the chase pack. Camenzind, Boogerd, Aebersold , and Lance. Going into the final lap, hometown hero Boogerd flats, but gets the wheel change of a lifetime and is back in the chase attacks coming from all riders and Bartoli back in the hunt, Van Petegem, too. 6 kms 3.7 miles to go, and the toll takes its turn.