TOP 10

Notable drug scandals

Doping & drug infractions that rocked the sports world

July 27, 2006

Tour de France's doping cloud blankets Landis

Enthusiasts say the Tour de France is the biggest, hardest, most gruelling race in existence, a prize so precious that cyclists will do anything to win. And they have.

In the past, riders have scattered broken glass on the road to confound rivals and fans have tossed nails. That's just for starters.

In the 1960s, riders tried to gain a competitive edge with amphetamines and alcohol. Britain's Tim Simpson, for example, died while on a hill climb in the 1967 Tour and a vial containing an amphetamine was found on his body.

Some say cycling nearly died after the 1998 doping scandal in which French officials caught an employee of the Festina cycling team with a carload of performance-enhancing drugs, including erythropoietin (EPO) – a hormone that helps the blood carry more oxygen, letting people ride longer and faster.

Following an arrest in the case, six of Festina's nine riders conceded they'd used performance-enhancing drugs, including current Credit Agricole team leader Christophe Moreau. Later that year, he tested positive for anabolic steroids.

A number of high-profile positive drug tests continued through the early years of this decade.

Italy's Stefano Garzelli, leader of the Vini Caldirola team, tested positive for traces of probenecid, a diuretic that can be used to mask other drugs in 2002. Spanish cyclist Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano was banned from the 2003 Tour after a test found excessive levels of an anti-asthma drug.

In January 2004, French police seized male hormones, EPO and amphetamines and arrested two cyclists in the anti-doping investigation involving Cofidis, one of France's top teams and home to three world champions.

Doping allegations even dogged seven-time champion Lance Armstrong for years. The French sports newspaper L'Equipe claimed it had uncovered evidence suggesting Armstrong used a banned substance during his first Tour victory in 1999.

The American cycling star was cleared in late 2005 by an independent investigation called by the sport's world governing body. Armstrong, who retired after his 2005 triumph, vehemently denies ever using performance-enhancing drugs.

Doping allegations also plagued the first post-Armstrong from beginning to end.

Several of the sport's top riders, including former champion Jan Ullrich and top contender Ivan Basso, were barred before the race even began after being implicated in a major Spanish doping investigation.

Ullrich and Basso turned up on a list of 56 cyclists who allegedly had contact with Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes. Cyclists allegedly went to his Madrid clinic to have blood extracted for doping or to collect performance-enhancing drugs.

Then, four days after Floyd Landis rolled down the Champs-Elysées to claim the 2006 title, word surfaced that the American cyclist had tested positive for an elevated level of testosterone during a stunning effort in Stage 17.

Landis's positive result was the latest blow to a sport and an event that continue to struggle with tarnished reputations.