May 5, 2004 -The 50th edition of the North French classic Four Days of Dunkirk began today with a 181K sojourn from the port city of Dunkirk to the country hamlet of Steenvoorde. The five-day, six-stage event derives its name from the famous WWII battle, and the wartime analogy is appropriate, given the pugilistic nature of this event, and the carnage it historically leaves behind. Dunkirk is a cosmopolitan port city on the northern French coast, close to the Belgian border, and directly south of Great Britain. Although the downtown region is an interesting mix of modern and historic European urban culture, the immediate perimeter of the city conjures images of Pink Floyd and 'Welcome to the Machine' where the fires of local refineries, massive industrial factories, and towering geometric wind generators cascade the landscape. Along the coast and canals, ferries and large ships lie moored to the docks – not a bad place for a cycling team to represent one of the world's foremost marine insurers.

Today's stage presented the athletes with a 181K journey, south through the rural shire of Steenvoorde to Bailleul before turning back north to the three 11.6K finishing circuits in Steenvoord. Three KOM and two sprint bonuses peppered the later kilometers of the stage, and the unseasonably cold and wet weather would make this a particularly uncomfortable ride for the athletes. Four Days of Dunkirk is most notorious for its infamous winds, field splitting echelons, and nose to tail gutter riding, and today's stage promised a fair share of each. The harsh cross headwinds of the opening 60K presented the stronger teams an opportunity to force an early selection, and it was the US Postal Service team that struck the first blow. Driving a torrid pace at the front, they managed to split the field in three before the first 50K were completed, and had already sent several riders off to a premature exit. The lead echelon gained over 1:30 at one point, but a steady chase from the groups behind brought the field back together before Cofidis sprinter Jimmy Casper and AG2R's Jean Patrick Nazon struck out on their own. The two speedsters, known for their finishing kick, worked well together and gained over five minutes as the peloton recovered from the initial fast pace. With 25K to the finish, the pair still had over four minutes, but Quickstep, CSC, and Gerolsteiner had gone to the front, and the gap was starting to close. With two 12K circuits remaining, the lead pair still had a three-minute advantage, but the peloton was gaining momentum, and the field's fast horses were smelling the barn. With one lap to go, the gap was under two minutes, and closing fast. Twenty-five seconds was all that remained at the 1K to go banner, and Casper was able to pump Nazon at the line, 13 seconds in front of the field, with Danilo Hondo in third.

Navigators Insurance's Henk Vogels was just behind Hondo, finishing fifth, proving he is well on his way to regaining his legendary form, and earning a spot on the podium as the top placed TT2 rider. The severity of the event was witnessed by the fact that 12 riders were forced to abandon in the first stage, including former winner Eddy Seigneur (RAGT), defending champion Christophe Moreau (Credit Agricole), and Navigators' Vassili Davidenko.

Tomorrow, the race heads back north with an 184K trek, setting up Friday's most difficult 204K hilly stage.

Stage-1 Results:
1. Jimmy Casper (Cofidis)
2. Jean Patrick Nazon (AG2R)
3. Danilo Hondo (Gerolsteiner)

Overall GC:
1. Casper
2. Nazon
3. Hondo