The 1998 Tour de France represented a turning point in the history of professional cycling. Nothing would ever be the same after the so-called ‘Festina Affair’ and the downfall of French national hero Richard Virenque. The race somehow made it to Paris with Marco Pantani pulling on the winner’s yellow jersey, but the widespread use of doping in cycling had finally been revealed.
The early 1990s are often regarded as a dark era for the sport. The spread of the blood-boosting drug EPO transformed performances and the balance of power in the peloton, with Italian and Spanish cycling enjoying a renaissance before Festina resurged to defend French pride and Jan Ullrich emerged to boost cycling in Germany.
The team staff involved in the Festina Affair eventually went on trial and were given suspended prison sentences, while the riders were banned for nine months or less, the usual sentence for doping at the time.
Some riders confessed immediately, but Virenque raced on with the Polti team in 1999 and continued to deny any wrongdoing until he went on trial in 2000. He was not found guilty of any crime but was banned for a year. He stayed defiant and came back with the Domo-Farm Frites team and then QuickStep, winning several stages at the Tour.
A French…
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