1999 Tour de France

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1999 Tour de France
Route of the 1999 Tour de France.png
Route of the 1999 Tour de France
Race details
Dates July 3–July 25, 1999
Stages 20+Prologue
Distance Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value).
Winning time 91h 32' 16"[1]
Palmares
Winner none
Second  Alex Zülle (Switzerland) (Banesto)
Third  Fernando Escartín (Spain) (Kelme-Costa Blanca)
Points  Erik Zabel (Germany) (Team Telekom)
Mountains  Richard Virenque (France) (Polti)
Youth  Benoît Salmon (France) (Casino–Ag2r Prévoyance)
Team Banesto
← 1998
2000 →

The 1999 Tour de France was a multiple stage bicycle race held from 3 July to 25 July 1999, and the 86th edition of the Tour de France. It has no overall winner—although American cyclist Lance Armstrong originally won the event, the United States Anti-Doping Agency announced in August 2012 that they had disqualified Armstrong from all his results since 1998, including his seven consecutive Tour de France wins from 1999–2005 (which were, originally, the most wins in the event's history); the Union Cycliste Internationale confirmed the result. There were no French stage winners for the first time since the 1926 Tour de France. Additionally, Mario Cipollini won 4 stages in a row, setting the post-World War II record for consecutive stage wins (breaking the record of three, set by Gino Bartali in 1948.)

The 1999 edition of Tour de France had two bizarre moments. The first was on stage 2 when a 25 rider pile-up occurred at Passage du Gois. Passage du Gois is a two-mile causeway which depending on the tide can be under water. The second bizarre incident was on stage 10, one kilometre from the summit of Alpe d'Huez. Leading Italian rider Giuseppe Guerini was confronted by a spectator holding a camera in the middle of the road. Guerini hit the spectator but recovered and went on to win the stage.

This tour also saw the mistreatment of Christophe Bassons by the riders of the peloton (notably Armstrong) for speaking out against doping. The 1998 tour had been marred by the Festina doping scandal. Bassons later told Bicycling, "The 1999 Tour was supposed to be the "Tour of Renewal," but I was certain that doping had not disappeared."[2] He quit the tour without finishing after "cracking" mentally due to his treatment by the peloton, especially in stage 10.[3]

Participants

The following 20 teams were each allowed to field nine cyclists:[4][5]

† indicates wildcard entries.[6]

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.[4] 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.[7]

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.[6]

Stages

Stage results[5][8]
Stage Date Route Terrain Length Winner
P 3 July Le Puy du Fou Individual time trial 6.8 km (4.2 mi)  Lance Armstrong (USA)
1 4 July Montaigu – Challans Plain stage 208.0 km (129.2 mi)  Jaan Kirsipuu (EST)
2 5 July Challans – Saint-Nazaire Plain stage 176.0 km (109.4 mi)  Tom Steels (BEL)
3 6 July Nantes – Laval Plain stage 194.5 km (120.9 mi)  Tom Steels (BEL)
4 7 July Laval – Blois Plain stage 194.5 km (120.9 mi)  Mario Cipollini (ITA)
5 8 July Bonneval – Amiens Plain stage 233.5 km (145.1 mi)  Mario Cipollini (ITA)
6 9 July Amiens – Maubeuge Plain stage 171.5 km (106.6 mi)  Mario Cipollini (ITA)
7 10 July Avesnes-sur-Helpe – Thionville Plain stage 227.0 km (141.1 mi)  Mario Cipollini (ITA)
8 11 July Metz – Metz Individual time trial 56.5 km (35.1 mi)  Lance Armstrong (USA)
9 13 July Le Grand-Bornand – Sestrières Stage with mountain(s) 213.5 km (132.7 mi)  Lance Armstrong (USA)
10 14 July Sestrières – Alpe d'Huez Stage with mountain(s) 220.5 km (137.0 mi)  Giuseppe Guerini (ITA)
11 15 July Le Bourg-d'Oisans – Saint-Étienne Hilly stage 198.5 km (123.3 mi)  Ludo Dierckxsens (BEL)
12 16 July Saint-Galmier – Saint-Flour Hilly stage 201.5 km (125.2 mi)  David Etxebarria (ESP)
13 17 July Saint-Flour – Albi Hilly stage 236.5 km (147.0 mi)  Salvatore Commesso (ITA)
14 18 July Castres – Saint-Gaudens Plain stage 199.0 km (123.7 mi)  Dmitri Konychev (RUS)
15 20 July Saint-Gaudens – Piau-Engaly Stage with mountain(s) 173.0 km (107.5 mi)  Fernando Escartín (ESP)
16 21 July Lannemezan – Pau Stage with mountain(s) 192.0 km (119.3 mi)  David Etxebarria (ESP)
17 22 July Mourenx – Bordeaux Plain stage 200.0 km (124.3 mi)  Tom Steels (BEL)
18 23 July Jonzac – Futuroscope Plain stage 187.5 km (116.5 mi)  Giampaolo Mondini (ITA)
19 24 July Futuroscope – Futuroscope Individual time trial 57.0 km (35.4 mi)  Lance Armstrong (USA)
20 25 July Arpajon – Paris (Champs-Élysées) Plain stage 143.5 km (89.2 mi)  Robbie McEwen (AUS)

Classification leadership

Stage Winner General classification
Jersey yellow.svg		 Mountains classification
Jersey polkadot.svg		 Points classification
Jersey green.svg		 Young rider classification Team classification
Jersey yellow number.svg		 Combativity award
Jersey red number.svg
P Lance Armstrong Lance Armstrong Mariano Piccoli Lance Armstrong Rik Verbrugghe U.S. Postal Service
1 Jaan Kirsipuu Jaan Kirsipuu
2 Tom Steels Jaan Kirsipuu Christian Vande Velde
3 Tom Steels
4 Mario Cipollini
5 Mario Cipollini
6 Mario Cipollini
7 Mario Cipollini
8 Lance Armstrong Lance Armstrong Magnus Bäckstedt
9 Lance Armstrong Richard Virenque Stuart O'Grady Benoît Salmon
10 Giuseppe Guerini ONCE
11 Ludo Dierckxsens Festina
12 David Etxebarria Erik Zabel
13 Salvatore Commesso ONCE
14 Dimitri Konishev Festina
15 Fernando Escartín Banesto
16 David Etxebarria
17 Tom Steels
18 Gianpaolo Mondini
19 Lance Armstrong
20 Robbie McEwen
Final Lance Armstrong Richard Virenque Erik Zabel Benoît Salmon Banesto Jacky Durand
Jersey wearers when one rider is leading two or more competitions
Other notes
  • The white jersey wasn't actually awarded between 1989 and 1999 - the white column in this table represents the leader in the youth classification.

Christophe Bassons

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Main article: Christophe Bassons

French rider Bassons had come to be known as one of the few riders of the Festina scandal who was not doping. During the 1999 tour he wrote some articles about cycling, the tour, and about doping, finding the speeds to be "suspicious".[2] The peloton began to turn against him, refusing to speak to him, and otherwise shunning him.[3]

Stage 10 occurred on July 14 and was from Sestrieres to Alpe d'Huez. Bassons would later tell the story of this stage to media, including an October 2012 interview with the BBC. He said that nobody had been talking to him. The entire peloton planned to ride slow for the first 100 km without telling him. Bassons only heard about this because a mechanic from his team told him. Bassons decided he was "fed up" and decided to ride ahead of the others ("attacked from the start"). As they came to a flat spot, "all of the teams rode together to close me down". As the teams rode by him, they looked at him.[3]

" . . . and then Lance Armstrong reached me. He grabbed me by the shoulder, because he knew that everyone would be watching, and he knew that at that moment, he could show everyone that he was the boss. He stopped me, and he said what I was saying wasn't true, what I was saying was bad for cycling, that I mustn't say it, that I had no right to be a professional cyclist, that I should quit cycling, that I should quit the tour, and finished by saying [*beep*] you. . . . I was depressed for 6 months. I was crying all of the time. I was in a really bad way." - Bassons, on BBC Radio 5, 2012 10 15[3]

In 2011/2012, after investigations into past doping in cycling, especially the 2012 USADA report on Armstrong's US Postal Service team, the media began to re-tell Bassons story. In one interview for the BBC, Armstrong teammate Tyler Hamilton publicly apologized for being part of the peloton that shunned him, saying that he was "100% wrong" not to talk to him. Bassons said "that's life, it's nothing. I don't begrudge Hamilton. I understand."[3]

David Walsh would later claim that Armstrong's treatment of Bassons was what first raised doubts about Armstrong in his mind. These doubts culminated in the 2004 book L. A. Confidentiel which he co-wrote with Pierre Ballester. It contained testimony from Emma O'Reilly (US Postal soigneur) and others about Armstrong's alleged doping, including during the 1999 tour.[9]

Results

There were several classifications in the 1999 Tour de France. The most important was the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage. The cyclist with the least accumulated time was the race leader, identified by the yellow jersey; the winner of this classification is considered the winner of the Tour.[10]

Additionally, there was a points classification, which awarded a green jersey. In the points classification, cyclists got points for finishing among the best in a stage finish, or in intermediate sprints. The cyclist with the most points led the classification, and was identified with a green jersey.[10]

There was also a mountains classification. The organisation had categorized some climbs as either hors catégorie, first, second, third, or fourth-category; points for this classification were won by the first cyclists that reached the top of these climbs first, with more points available for the higher-categorized climbs. The cyclist with the most points lead the classification, and was identified with a polkadot jersey.[10]

The fourth individual classification was the young rider classification, which was not marked by a jersey. This was decided the same way as the general classification, but only riders under 26 years were eligible.[10]

For the team classification, the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added; the leading team was the team with the lowest total time. The riders in the team that led this classification wore yellow caps.[11]

For the combativity classification, a jury gave points after each stage to the cyclists they considered most combative. The cyclist with the most votes in all stages lead the classification.

General classification

On 24 August 2012, the United States Anti-Doping Agency announced that they had disqualified Armstrong from all his results since 1998, including his victory in the 1999 Tour de France. The Union Cycliste Internationale, responsible for the international cycling, upheld the verdict on October 22, 2012. Organizers of the Tour de France announced that the winner's slot would remain empty in the record books.

Final general classification (1–10)[5]
Rank Name Team Time
1  Lance Armstrong (USA) US Postal Service 91h 32' 16"
2  Alex Zülle (SUI) Banesto +7' 37"
3  Fernando Escartín (ESP) Kelme +10' 26"
4  Laurent Dufaux (SUI) Saeco +14' 43"
5  Ángel Casero (ESP) Vitalicio Seguros +15' 11"
6  Abraham Olano (ESP) ONCE +16' 47"
7  Daniele Nardello (ITA) Mapei +17' 02"
8  Richard Virenque (FRA) Polti +17' 28"
9  Wladimir Belli (ITA) Festina +17' 37"
10  Andrea Peron (ITA) ONCE +23' 10"

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Points classification

Final points classification (1–10)[5][12]
Rank Rider Team Points
1  Erik Zabel (GER) Telekom 327
2  Stuart O'Grady (AUS) Crédit Agricole 275
3  Christophe Capelle (FRA) Big Mat-Auber 196
4  Tom Steels (BEL) Mapei 188
5  François Simon (FRA) Crédit Agricole 186
6  George Hincapie (USA) US Postal Service 166
7  Robbie McEwen (AUS) Rabobank 166
8  Giampaolo Mondini (ITA) Cantina Tollo 141
9  Christophe Moreau (FRA) Festina 140
10  Silvio Martinello (ITA) Polti 130

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Mountains classification

Final mountains classification (1–10)[5][12]
Rank Rider Team Points
1  Richard Virenque (FRA) Polti 279
2  Alberto Elli (ITA) Telekom 226
3  Mariano Piccoli (ITA) Lampre 205
4  Fernando Escartín (ESP) Kelme 194
5  Lance Armstrong (USA) US Postal Service 193
6  Alex Zülle (SUI) Banesto 152
7  José Luis Arrieta (ESP) Banesto 141
8  Laurent Dufaux (SUI) Saeco 141
9  Andrea Peron (ITA) ONCE 138
10  Kurt Van De Wouwer (BEL) Lotto 117

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Team classification

Final team classification (1–10)[5][12]
Rank Team Time
1 Banesto 275h 05' 21"
2 ONCE–Deutsche Bank +8' 16"
3 Festina–Lotus +16' 13"
4 Kelme–Costa Blanca +23' 48"
5 Mapei–Quick-Step +24' 13"
6 Team Telekom +41' 00"
7 Vitalicio Seguros +42' 44"
8 U.S. Postal Service +57' 13"
9 Cofidis +58' 02"
10 Lotto–Mobistar +1h 09' 02"

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Young rider classification

Final young rider classification (1–5)[5][12]
Rank Rider Team Time
1  Benoit Salmon (FRA) Casino 92h 01' 15"
2  Mario Aerts (BEL) Lotto +10' 22"
3  Francisco Tomas García (ESP) Vitalico Seguros +16' 32"
4  Francisco Mancebo (ESP) Banesto +21' 32"
5  Luis Perez (ESP) ONCE +23' 54

Combativity classification

Final combativity classification (1–3)[5][12]
Rank Rider Team Points
1  Jacky Durand (FRA) Lotto 61
2  Stéphane Heulot (FRA) Française des Jeux 55
3  Thierry Gouvenou (FRA) Big Mat-Auber 51

Doping

At the time of the race there was no official test for EPO. In August 2005, 60 remaining antidoping samples from the 1998 Tour and 84 remaining antidoping samples given by riders during the 1999 Tour, were tested retrospectively for recombinant EPO by using three recently developed detection methods. More precisely the laboratory compared the result of test method A: "Autoradiography - visual inspection of light emitted from a strip displaying the isoelectric profile for EPO" (published in the Nature journal as the first EPO detection method in June 2000[13]), with the result of test method B: "Percentage of basic isoforms - using an ultra-sensitive camera that by percentage quantify the light intensity emitted from each of the isoelectric bands" (pioneered at the Olympics in September 2000, with values above 80% classified as positive, but the laboratory applying an 85% threshold for retrospective samples - to be absolutely certain that no false-positives can occur when analyzing on samples stored for multiple years). For those samples with enough urine left, these results of test method A+B were finally also compared with the best and latest test method C: "Statistical discriminant analysis - taking account all the band profiles by statistical distinguish calculations for each band" (which feature both higher sensitivity and accuracy compared to test method B[14]).[15]

At first, the rider names with a positive sample in the retrospective test were not made public, because this extra test had only been conducted as scientific research, with the purpose of validating the newest invented EPO-test method based on "statistical discriminant analysis". On 23 August 2005, only one day after the confidential test report had been submitted by the test laboratorium LNDD to WADA and the French Ministry for Sports, the French newspaper L'Équipe however reported, that after having access to all Lance Armstrong's Sample IDs, they had managed to link him to 6 out of the 12 "definitely EPO-positive" samples.[16] The phrase "definitely EPO-positive" referred to that all three applied test methods (A+B+C) had returned a positive result,[16] and it was reported Armstrong's six samples satisfying this requirement had been collected on the following dates: 3+4+13+14+16+18 July 1999.[17] From the leaked report it was also possible to conclude, that all of the four unidentified riders tested at the Prologue on top of the list, had submitted samples being EPO positive by all three applied test methods. As it was known from earlier press reports, that only four named riders (Beltran, Castelblanco, Hamburger and Armstrong) had been tested in the Prologue, they were all identified as having tested EPO-positive.[18]

In response, UCI published the so-called Vrijman report in May 2006, where they alleged WADA had been responsible for the leak of the confidential test report to the press, and had been complotting against Lance Armstrong when they asked the French laboratorium to note sample IDs in their confidential report, as Vrijman suspected they already had inside knowledge of some journalists being in possession of Armstrongs confidential doping forms - knowing that this all together could be used to link him to the positive samples.[19] However, a few days later, WADA published a full written reply to completely rebut this accusation, and was moreover able to proof the journalist in fact had received the Armstrong doping forms by legal ways, from UCI itself - with Armstrong's written consent - and without any help/interference by WADA.[20]

In July 2013, the antidoping committee of the French Senate decided it would benefit the current doping fight to shed some more light on the past, and so decided - as part of their "Commission of Inquiry into the effectiveness of the fight against doping" report - to publish all of the 1998 rider doping forms and some of the 1999 rider doping forms, along with the result of the retrospective test of the 1998+1999 samples, which made name identification possible for the various sample IDs. This publication revealed for the 1999 samples, that 13 of the 20 positive samples belonged to 6 riders (Lance Armstrong, Kevin Livingston, Manuel Beltrán, José Castelblanco, Bo Hamburger, and Wladimir Belli), with the remaining 7 positive samples still not identified. Beside of the 20 positive samples, 34 were reported to have tested negative, and the remaining 30 samples were inconclusive due to sample degradation.[15]

Among the riders testing EPO positive during the 1999 Tour, the following riders have confessed indeed to be EPO positive:

  • Lance Armstrong was in August 2012 - despite of not having confessed any guilt yet - given a lifetime ban by USADA for doping with EPO, testosterone and human growth hormones in 1996, and EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone and cortisone throughout 1998-2005, and having a positive indication of "blood manipulation" during his comeback to cycling in the 2009 Tour de France. Beside of being convicted for this long list of possession and use of doping, he was also ruled guilty of trafficking and administration of EPO, testosterone and corticosteroids, along with also - towards his teammates - having assisted, encouraged, aided, abetted and covered up doping use.[23] Along with the lifetime ban, USADA decided, that because Armstrong previously had been lying under oath, then WADA's standard rule about eight years statute of limitations should be disregarded,[24] and thus ruled all his competitive results since 1 August 1998 to be disqualified.[23] Armstrong confessed on 18 January 2013 in a television interview conducted by Oprah Winfrey, that he indeed had doped throughout 1996-2005 (including his seven Tour wins), but denied the allegation of having manipulated his blood during his comeback years in 2009-11.[25]

Additional doping confessions

Among the riders in the race who never had their samples tested doping positive, the following never-the-less later on confessed also to have doped in preparation/during the 1999 Tour de France:

  • Michael Boogerd (Rabobank), confessed using cortisone, EPO and blood doping throughout 1997-2007.[26]
  • George Hincapie (US Postal), confessed in his affidavit to the USADA that he used EPO and other doping substances throughout 1996-2006 (incl. blood doping throughout 2001-2005). Specifically about the 1999 Tour de France, he confessed using EPO in the preparation weeks ahead of the race, along with testosterone during the race, and testified he knew Tyler Hamilton and Kevin Livingston also used EPO during the race.[27]
  • Christian Vande Velde (US Postal), confessed in his affidavit to the USADA to have used doping during the time from January 1999 to April 2006. In 1999 he doped with Actovegin in the spring and testosterone during the Tour de France. In 2000 he doped with growth hormones and cortisone (incl. Synacthen). Throughout 2001-2003 he paid a percentage of his salary to Michele Ferrari, for joining a regular EPO doping program organized via his team, with injection of some modest 500/1000 EPO units in the evening, to ensure he would never test positive, as the doctor had told him it then became undetectable only 12 hours after the injection. After changing team to Liberty Seguros in 2004, he doped regularly with growth hormones and EPO, supplied through his team doctor. When changing team next year to Team CSC there was no team organized doping, but nevertheless he opted at his own initiative a single time to use testosterone. Since April 2006, he however had always competed entirely clean in all races.[28]
  • Erik Zabel (Telekom), admitted having doped with cortisone, "magic potion" (caffeine+Persantine+Alupent), painkillers and EPO, throughout 1996-2002. In 2003 he used the same doping substances, but replaced EPO with autologous blood doping ahead of the Tour de France. For the years 2004-2005, he wanted to race clean and did not take any doping substances, except for the "magic potion", which he claim at that point of time not knowing the exact content of. After changing team from Telekom to Milram, he always competed entirely clean in the remaining part of his career, stretching from 2006-08. Explicitly about his EPO abuse in the Tour de France, he explained he abused it both during the Tour and in the 2-3 week preparation phase ahead, in 1997 and 1998. For the years in 1996 and 1999-2002 his EPO abuse did not happen during the race, but was limited to the 2-3 week preparation phase ahead of the Tour. When he blood doped in 2003, this also took place shortly ahead of the Tour start, and not during the race.[29]

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bassons: ‘People Now See I Wasn’t Lying’, James Startt, Bicycling.com, October 15th, 2012
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Peddlers - Cycling's Dirty Truth, 54:00, Mark Chapman, including interviews with Tyler Hamilton, Bassons, and others. BBC Radio 5 live, 2012 10 15, retr 2012 10 16
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ David Walsh: 'It was obvious to me Lance Armstrong was doping' Andrew Pugh, Press Gazette, 11 October 2012, retr 2012 10 20
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 15.8 15.9 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 21.6 21.7 21.8 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Further reading

  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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