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VALENCIA, Aug 3 (CP) - After reviewing the controversies in part one, Cyclingpost.com takes a look at the riders who had an impact on the Tour and made it such a fascinating race.

The 2007 Tour de France as a race was a great spectacle. Sure, the three weeks weren't without incident, and Cyclingpost.com looked at the more unsavory moments of the race in part one of our review.

But the 94th Tour also gave us some fantastic racing and to dwell just on the negatives would be an injustice to those who shone on the roads in July. Therefore in part two, we’ve decided to put the controversies to one side and focus on the riders that made this such a memorable Tour.

Coming up with a list of winners, revelations and disappointments from 'Le Grand Boucle' is a subjective task. For instance; who had the better Tour in this scenario – a rider who makes it onto the final podium in Paris with little fanfare or another who wins a couple of stages and wears the yellow jersey for a week? A strong argument can be made for either rider and that is why this review is far from being definitive.

So who were some of the riders who made this race?

Well really all the riders that made it to Paris are winners; let us not forget just how demanding a race this is. But really, the big winner is of course Alberto Contador.

The Discovery Channel rider proved to be the strongest man in the mountains as evident by his victory in stage 14 to Plateau de Beille over Michael Rasmussen. In fact, he made it look easy taming the high passes with his efficient high-cadence pedaling style.

Contador showed great composure in the final time trial when under immense pressure from Cadel Evans and Levi Leipheimer. The Spanish star did show signs of tiring in the final week, but that is understandable considering he is just 24 years old. It will be interesting to see how his career develops. Jan Ullrich has shown that winning the race at such a young age doesn't translate into automatic success in future editions.

Fabian Cancellara was another rider who provided much entertainment. It was no surprise to see the current World Time Trial champion take out the victory on the streets of London. But the Swiss star didn't rest on his laurels. Cancellara took full advantage of a confused peloton and stormed away to victory in stage three as well.

In stage five he nearly crashed on the descent into Autun looking for another win. And it didn't stop after he lost the yellow jersey – he came second in the sprint on stage eleven and was seen fighting it out on the Champs-Élysées.

Probably the biggest revelation at this year's race was Columbian Mauricio Soler. The Tour debutant was certainly a worthy winner of the Polka-dot jersey. His stage nine win in Briançon was one of the most exciting stages of the race and his attack on the Col du Galibier was inspiring. The Barloworld rider gave his all right throughout the three weeks and made his presence felt on most of the major climbs.

Speaking of Barloworld, they must be delighted with their Tour – all the more so considering they were a wild card entrant. On top of Soler's King of the Mountains' win, Robert Hunter provided them with a win in stage eleven and eventually came second in the battle for the green jersey.

Discovery Channel were the definite standout team. First, third and eighth in the general classification, the U.S. registered squad also won the teams competition. Director Johan Bruyneel didn't put a foot wrong in the race. How many times did we see the likes of George Hincapie or Yaroslav Popovych – who must have been the domestique of the Tour – up ahead on the road waiting to drag Contador over the final climb or to bring him home safely?

Quick-step had a disappointing 2006 Tour – but how that changed this year. Four stage wins with three different riders, bragging rights by winning on home soil in stage two, and the green jersey with Tom Boonen. Quick-step managed to get all nine riders to Paris – all the more remarkable as three were making their debuts.

2007 was a year of the breakthroughs, and in so many ways. Boonen with his first green jersey, Robert Hunter becoming the first South African stage winner and of course we've already looked at the exploits of Contador and Soler. But it doesn't end there.

T-Mobile's Linus Gerdemann spent a day in yellow and also gave us a glimpse into the future. Sandy Casar finally won that ever elusive stage win and don't forget the final podium were three riders who had their best Tour ever.

Italian Daniele Bennati lived up to his promise and came of age on the big stage with two wins. Although the first of his wins came via a small breakaway in stage seventeen, his second win on the Champs-Élysées could well end up being a defining moment in his career.

The Tour also had its disappointments too. For T-Mobile stage eight ended up a disaster. With Gerdemann in yellow, things looked rosy – but how quickly that changed. Midway through the stage, Michael Rogers found himself in a break and virtual leader of the race. Of course the Australian crashed out and one can only speculate on what could've been.

T-Mobile's troubles were compounded by Patrik Sinkewitz's crash with a spectator after the stage, and we all know what happened next to the German.

Speaking of crashes – the canines in France obviously had a grudge against bikes. Twice we saw riders taken out by a dog, though for Sandy Casar he probably saw it as a good omen as he achieved his win on the same day.

So what riders disappointed? Well, enough has been said about those expelled from the Tour, but there were other riders who didn't really live up to the lofty expectations put upon them.

Alejandro Valverde Belmonte may feel somewhat let down by his performance. Starting out as one of the pre-race favorites, the Spainaird finished a credible sixth overall. The 'green bullet' came into the Tour as Spain's great hope for victory, but was beaten by three countrymen. Valverde really struggled in the high mountains but at least will take some consolation from completing his first Tour.

Team CSC were probably hoping for a little more from Carlos Sastre. Again, there is no shame in coming fourth but most were expecting to see the diminutive Spanish rider a lot more animated in the Pyrenean stages.

As mentioned from the outset, this list isn't definitive. So who do you feel made their presence felt in the race? Who were your revelations for the Tour? Which riders disappointed you?

Feel free to add your thoughts in the Cyclingpost.com forum.

© Michael Holden