1.   Millar finished third Sunday at the third intermediary sprint and picked up two bonus seconds, which allowed him to pad his minimal margin over Armstrong.

2.   He won some bonus seconds in intermediate sprints to move past Mario Cipolloini.

3.   Sprinters battle for bonus seconds during and at the end of the race and defending champion Jan Ullrich is in a position to strike quickly.

4.   The first week of the Tour is marked by flat stages, allowing the sprinters to dominate by picking up bonus seconds in fast finishes.