July 17, 2004 – The Navigators Insurance Cycling Team continued their westward travels into China for the 3rd annual Tour of Qinghai Lake, which runs from July 17 to 26 in the northwest province of Qinghai. One of the largest and most important cycling races in Asia, the event was won by Tom Danielson (currently with Fassa Bortolo) in 2002, and in 2003 by Damiano Cunego (Saeco).

Today’s opening stage featured 107-kilometers of racing on a downtown Xinging City circuit of 8-kilometers. Although mostly flat terrain, the riders were subject to the altitude of 6,000-feet (1,850 meters) and high speeds. The action was initiated by several teams trying to gain an advantage on the rest of the field. Particularly aggressive were the Phonak, R.A.G.T.- Semences and Action-ATI squads, as well as the National teams from Canada and Kazakhstan. At the end however, it came down to a field sprint. With a perfectly timed leadout, the Navigators Insurance train drove the pace into the final corner, some 300-meters from the slightly uphill finish line. Using his speed and power, Navigators’ Viktor Rapinski accelerated all the way to the line to take the victory, as well as the Yellow Jersey of race leader.

Stage 1 Results:
1. Viktor Rapinski (Navigators Insurance)

Overall GC:
1. Viktor Rapinski (Navigators Insurance)