Appearing relaxed as he took a break from training in Megve, France, the 32-year-old Texan pedaled on to a record sixth straight Tour de France title. Dogged by rumors of doping despite his denials and negative drug tests he explained the historic feat by saying, "Everything went perfectly." His yellow jersey shared honors with his yellow Live Strong wristbands, which help raise cancer awareness and millions for research.
For sticking to his guns (literally and figuratively), for reshaping the rules of politics to fit his ten-gallon-hat leadership style and for persuading a majority of voters that he deserved to be in the White House for another four years, George W. Bush is TIME's 2004 Person of the Year