LeMond did use aluminum before 2003: back in the late-1990s, there were a few aluminum LeMonds, but the seatstays intersected the seat tube well below the top tube junction. Here's a 1999 Alpe d'Huez - in aluminum - for comparison:



This could be a R&D model from 2002 or 2003, which was dolled up to look like the retail Alpe d'Huez. Perhaps it was an early "proof of concept" frame that lacked much of the finish of a final, production model. Thus the horizontal top tube and such would make sense: trying to use the existing geometry for their return to aluminum.