In the 1999 Tour de France, the following 20 teams were each allowed to field nine cyclists: [1] [2]
After the doping controversies in the 1998 Tour de France, the Tour organisation banned some persons from the race, including cyclist Richard Virenque, Laurent Roux and Philippe Gaumont, manager Manolo Saiz and the entire TVM–Farm Frites team. [1] Virenque's team Polti then appealed at the UCI against this decision, and the UCI then forced the Tour organisation to allow Virenque and Saiz entry in the Tour. [3]
Initially, the Vini Caldirola team had been selected, but after their team leader Serhiy Honchar failed a blood test in the 1999 Tour de Suisse, the tour organisation removed Vini Caldirola from the starting list, and replaced them by Cantina Tollo–Alexia Alluminio, the first reserve team. [4]
Qualified teams
Invited teams
| No. | Starting number worn by the rider during the Tour |
| Pos. | Position in the general classification |
| DNF | Denotes a rider who did not finish |
 | This section is empty. Needs a table similar to the one found in the List of teams and cyclists in the 2010 Tour de France#By nationality. You can help by adding to it. (January 2015) |
The 1998 Tour de France was the 85th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The 3,875 km (2,408 mi) race was composed of 21 stages and a prologue. It started on 11 July in Ireland before taking an anti-clockwise route through France to finish in Paris on 2 August. Marco Pantani of Mercatone Uno–Bianchi won the overall general classification, with Team Telekom's Jan Ullrich, the defending champion, and Cofidis rider Bobby Julich finishing on the podium in second and third respectively.
Danilo Di Luca is a former Italian professional road racing cyclist, best known for winning the 2007 Giro d'Italia, but also for several positive doping tests, the last of which resulting in a lifetime ban from the sport.
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The 2000 Tour de France was a multiple stage bicycle race held from 1 to 23 July, and the 87th edition of the Tour de France. There was no overall winner following a vacating of results by the United States Anti-Doping Agency announcement on 24 August 2012 that they had disqualified Lance Armstrong from all his results since 1 August 1998, including his seven Tour de France wins from 1999 to 2005; the Union Cycliste Internationale confirmed the result.
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The 53rd edition of the Vuelta a España was held 5 to 27 September 1998 and began in Córdoba and ended in Madrid. The 1998 Vuelta had 22 stages over 3,774 km (2,345 mi) with the winning average speed of 40.262 km/h (25.018 mph). Spaniard Abraham Olano took the leader's jersey after the first individual time trial with 41 seconds over Frenchman Laurent Jalabert. Olano's lead in the mountains decreased each stage as teammate José María Jiménez marked Olano's rivals and took several stage wins in the process until Jiménez took the jersey from Olano on the final mountain stage to Alto de Navacerrada with Olano in third place at 38 seconds. On the following day's individual time trial, Olano took back the lead to win the only Grand Tour of his career.
The Festina affair was a series of doping scandals within the sport of professional cycling that occurred during and after the 1998 Tour de France. The affair began when a large haul of doping products was found in a support car belonging to the Festina cycling team just before the start of the race. A resulting investigation revealed systematic doping involving many teams in the Tour de France. Hotels where teams were staying were raided and searched by police, confessions were made by several retired and current riders, and team personnel were arrested or detained. Several teams withdrew completely from the race.
The 2000 Tour de Suisse was the 64th edition of the Tour de Suisse cycle race and was held from 13 June to 22 June 2000. The race started in Romanshorn and finished in Zürich. The race was won by Oscar Camenzind of the Lampre team.
The 1999 Tour de Suisse was the 63rd edition of the Tour de Suisse cycle race and was held from 15 June to 24 June 1999. The race started in Solothurn and finished in Winterthur. The race was won by Francesco Casagrande of the Vini Caldirola team.
The 2002 Tour de Suisse was the 66th edition of the Tour de Suisse cycle race and was held from 18 June to 27 June 2002. The race started in Lucerne and finished in Biel. The race was won by Alex Zülle of the Coast team.
The 2000 Volta a Catalunya was the 80th edition of the Volta a Catalunya cycle race and was held from 15 June to 22 June 2000. The race started in La Pineda and finished at Viola Rabassa in Andorra. The race was won by José María Jiménez of the Banesto team.
