At the 2004 Tour de France Ivan Basso made the maiden-voyage of the Cervélo P3 SL. A lighter version of the venerable P3, it once again underlined Cervélo’s excellence when it comes to designing time trial bikes. Thanks to its clean, aerodynamic construction including the patented curved seattube to create an optimal airflow around the rear wheel, the improvements made on the P3 SL allowed Ivan Basso, not a known time trial specialist, to ride the time trial of his life and defend his spot on the podium in the Tour.