2008 Tour de France

Infobox Cycling race report
name = 2008 Tour de France

---

image_caption = Tour de France 2008 - Course Outline
date = July 5–July 27
stages = 21
distance = 3559
unit = km
time = 87h 52' 52"
speed = 40.50
first = Carlos Sastre
first_nat = Spain
first_team = Team CSC Saxo Bank
second = Cadel Evans
second_nat = Australia
second_team = Silence-Lotto
third = Bernhard Kohl
third_nat = Austria
third_team = Gerolsteiner
points = Óscar Freire
points_nat = Spain
points_team = Rabobank
mountains = Bernhard Kohl
mountains_nat = Austria
mountains_team = Gerolsteiner
youth = Andy Schleck
youth_nat = Luxembourg
youth_team = Team CSC Saxo Bank
team = Team CSC Saxo Bank
team_nat = Denmark

The 2008 Tour de France was the 95th Tour de France. The event took place from July 5 to July 27, 2008. Starting in the French city of Brest, the tour entered Italy on the 15th stage and returned to France during the 16th, heading for Paris, its regular final destination, which was reached in the 21st stage. The race was won by Carlos Sastre.

Unlike previous years, time bonuses were no longer awarded for intermediate sprints and for high placement on each stage. This altered the way the General Classification was awarded in comparison to previous seasons.

Teams

Long running disputes between the event organisers, the ASO and the UCI [http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/protour_affair_complete History of UCI-Grand Tour disputes] reached a head when the race organisers insisted upon the right to invite, or exclude, whichever teams it chose for the event. Under UCI rules, any ProTour event must be open to all member teams of the UCI's top level. The ASO made it clear that, despite changes in team management and personnel, it intended to exclude Astana from the event as a result its involvement in the doping scandals that marred the 2007 Tour and its links to the 2006 Operación Puerto doping case. This meant that the champion (Alberto Contador) and third-place finisher (Levi Leipheimer) from 2007, both of whom had since signed with Astana, could not compete in the 2008 Tour.cite news|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=cycling&id=3243633 |title=Tour de France organizers exclude Astana team; Alberto Contador may not defend title |author=Associated Press |publisher="ESPN.com" |date=2008-02-13 |accessdate=2008-08-15]

The ASO announced on March 20, 2008 that all ProTour teams except Astana would be invited, along with three "wildcard" teams: Agritubel, Barloworld, and Team Slipstream-Chipotle (subsequently renamed as Team Garmin-Chipotle [cite press| title = Garmin is the new title sponsor of the Slipstream-Chipotle team | publisher = VeloNews | date = June 18, 2008 | url = http://www.velonews.com/article/77889
accessdate = 2008-06-18] ).

The 20 teams invited to the race were: [ [http://www.letour.fr/2008/TDF/COURSE/docs/cp_2008_03_20_fr.pdf TOUR 2008 : VINGT ÉQUIPES INVITÉES (PDF)] ]

tages

In previous years, the Tour started with a prologue, followed by a week of flat stages. The flat stages were dominated by the sprinters' teams, and the yellow jersey was worn by a sprinter who had a good prologue. At the presentation of the Tour de France 2008 schedule, Tour Director Christian Prudhomme announced that the 2008 Tour would be different: "We have wanted a first week of racing with much more rhythm. With no prologue, an uphill finish that will suit different types of sprinters at the end of stage one, with a short time trial on stage four and the first mountain at Super-Besse only 48 hours later, we have decided to change the scenario." [cite web|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008/tour08/|title=A Grand Tour with minimal transfers and mythical mountains|author=Gregor Brown|publisher=cyclingnews] The time bonuses at the end of each stage were removed, and there was convert|82|km|lk=on of time trials, less than usual.

The 2008 Tour de France was almost entirely in France, with only a small part in Italy.

Teams Classification

=Young Riders' Classification=

Withdrawals

35 riders withdrew or were disqualified.

Three teams, Team CSC Saxo Bank, Team Milram, and Euskaltel-Euskadi, had all nine members reach the end of the race. [ [http://www.roadcycling.com/articles/2008_Tour_de_France_Results_-_Stage_21_002312.shtml Roadcycling.com - Cycling news - 2008 Tour de France Results - Stage 21 ] ]

Doping

Following protracted disagreement between the organisers of the Tour de France (ASO) and the UCI, the race was sanctioned by the French cycling federation (FFC), as was the 2008 Paris-Nice in March. Thus the FFC were in charge of the doping controls before and during the race, and rather than increasing the number of doping controls during the Tour, they applied a more targeted approach on suspect riders. [cite web |url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=features/2008/tour_ffc_jun08|title=Tour de France under the control of FFC and AFLD|accessdate=2008-07-30|publisher=cyclingnews.com] The anti-doping agency AFLD carried out approximately 60 random and targeted tests in the weeks leading up to the Tour. They took blood samples from all the 180 riders in a two-day period just before the first stage, and during the race took samples from up to 14 riders a day shortly after the stage was finished, 250 tests being run in total. [cite web |url=http://www.velonews.com/article/81057/andrew-hood-s-tour-de-france-notebook---sastres-tour |title=Andrew Hood's Tour de France Notebook - Sastre’s Tour: Can we dare to believe? |accessdate=2008-07-30 |publisher=VeloNews |work=velonews.com] The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) also performed unannounced doping tests of riders at the finish of stage 15, which ended at the ski resort of Prato Nevoso, Italy. [cite web |url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2008/jul08/jul22news|title=CONI surprises Schleck with doping control|accessdate=2008-07-30|publisher=cyclingnews.com] On July 3, 2008, France enacted a law criminalizing using or trafficking in doping substances. [ [http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000019117516 Law 2008-650 of July 3, 2008, amending the Sports Code] ]

On July 11 news broke that Spanish rider Manuel Beltrán tested positive for erythropoietin after the first stage of the tour. Blood abnormalities before the tour start had led AFLD to target the rider. Beltrán's team Liquigas withdrew him from the tour with immediate effect. French law enforcement authorities questioned Beltrán over possible offences and searched his hotel room, but he claimed his innocence. The B-Sample has not yet been tested. [cite web |url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j99v8lGDDLVr7JnBjqOPuu0iupiwD91RQJG01 |title=Doping agency: Beltran positive for EPO |accessdate=2008-07-11 |publisher=AP |work=google.com]

On July 13, prior to the ninth stage, it was revealed that AFLD had informed team doctors that five riders had unusually high hematocrit levels. The Italian press reported that Riccardo Riccò, who won the stage later that day, had been selected for testing several times during the first week, which led to a suspicion that he was among those whose teams had been notified. Riccò has for some time been known to have a naturally high hematocrit level of 51%, above the 50%-level which usually is taken to be an indicator of possible blood manipulation. Riccò stated that he has a license confirming that this is a natural, long-term condition, which he gave to the doping agencies before the start of the race, [cite web |url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008/tour08/news/?id=/news/2008/jul08/jul14news |title=Riccò makes it look easy on Col d'Aspin |accessdate=2008-07-13 |publisher=cyclingnews.com] , but he later admitted to the offence at a hearing of the Italian Olympic Committee. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/7533246.stm|title=Ricco criticises Tour drug tests |date=2008-7-30|publisher=BBC Sport|accessdate=2008-07-31]

On July 16 Barloworld started the 11th stage without Moisés Dueñas, who had been withdrawn from the team after being tested positive for EPO at the end of the time trial fourth stage. [cite web |url=http://www.letour.fr/2008/TDF/LIVE/us/1100/depeches.html#121340|title=11:02 - Official Statement From ASO|accessdate=2008-07-16|publisher=letour.fr] Barloworld Ltd, two days later, announced that they were withdrawing from sponsorship after this year's Tour de France, [http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=185&art_id=nw20080719130626460C437381 Plug pulled on Team Barloworld] , but as of August 1, the team are still using the company's name, and the company is still promoting the team on its Web site.

On July 17, shortly before the start of stage 12, Ricardo Riccò and the rest of the Saunier Duval-Scott team, withdrew from the race after the announcement that he had tested positive for MIRCERA, a new type of EPO, at the end of stage 4. [ [http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008/tour08/news/?id=/news/2008/jul08/jul17news4 www.cyclingnews.com presents the 95th Tour de France ] ] [ [http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/17/sports/TOUR.php Doping once again roils the Tour de France - International Herald Tribune ] ] Leonardo Piepoli, winner of stage 10, was sacked by his team for "violation of the team's ethics code" the following day, though no positive test was reported. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/7514224.stm BBC SPORT | Other sport... | Cycling | Spanish team sack Ricco & Piepoli ] ]

On the last day of the race, but after the end of the stage, Dmitry Fofonov was announced to have tested positive for the banned stimulant heptaminol after Stage 18. He was asked for a medical exemption to use the stimulant, but did not produce one. [http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/other/story/619704.html] He was subsequently fired by his team Crédit Agricole. [ [http://www.sportinglife.com/others/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=others/08/07/27/CYCLING_Tour_Fofonov.html FOFONOV FIRED AFTER POSITIVE TEST | Sporting Life | Beijing Olympics, MotoGP, Athletics, World Rally Championship, Superbikes ] ]

After the race ended, French cyclist Jimmy Casper was suspended from Agritubel because he tested positive after the stage to Super Besse for glucocorticoids, an asthma drug that is banned unless the user has a medical exemption for its use. Casper, an asthmatic, carried a therapeutic use exemptions (TUE) for the last twelve years but failed to renew this exemption. His authorisation expired on May 29 and was not renewed before the 2008 Tour de France. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/7551944.stm] ] The French cycling federation's disciplinary commission exonerated Casper. [ [http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2008/sep08/sep17news2] ]

In late September it was announced that several Tour de France riders were to have their blood samples retested for traces of EPO. Pierre Bordry, the head of AFLD, claimed the testing involved riders who were already under scrutiny for suspicious urine samples. AFLD had suspicion that there was CERA in some samples but the laboratory could not say definitively. The urine tests were somewhat unreliable at giving definitive results, so the AFLD decided to order the blood samples taken before and during the Tour for additional testing with a newly developed CERA blood test. [ [http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SPORT/09/17/cycling.doping.ap/index.html Tour riders to have blood samples retested - cnn.com] ] [ [http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/26092008/3/tour-doping-czar-begins-search-cera-type-epo.html Tour doping czar begins search for CERA-type EPO - Yahoo Sports] ]

As a result of this additional testing, both Leonardo Piepoli and Stefan Schumacher tested positive for the performance enhancing substance CERA. The riders were declared positive by AFLD. Piepoli's results came back positive for samples taken one day prior to the start of the Tour, on July 4, and also on July 15, on the rest day in Pau. [ [http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2008/oct08/oct07news Piepoli and Schumacher Tour de France samples positive for CERA - cyclingnews.com] ]

ee also

* List of doping cases in cycling

Notes and references

External links

* [http://www.letour.fr/us/homepage_courseTDF.html The official Tour de France site]
*nl en fr [http://paris.thover.com/story.php?ID=67&l=en&f=WP A presentation of the Tour de France 2008 stages]
* [http://www.earthview.nl/route_le_tour_de_france_2008_primeur-t6292.0.html Tour de France 2008 on Google Earth]
* [http://www.roadcycling.com/ RoadCycling.com] Tour de France news, results, photos and rider diaries.
* [http://www.cyclingfans.com/ Cyclingfans.com ] Tour de France live video and audio feeds
* [http://www.mapstars.com/tour-de-france/tour-de-france-2008-google-maps.htm The stages of the official Tour de France 2008 route on Google Maps] New: Google interactive map in Terrain View
* [http://gofrance.about.com/od/tourdefrance/ss/tour-france-map_2.htm Tour de France 2008 List of Stages and Trip Planner]
* [http://www.hotels-in-france.nl/index.php/Tour-de-France-2008-All-stages/ The individual stages of the official Tour de France 2008 route on Google Maps] New: Google interactive map with all the single stages based on detailed KML file
* [http://www.ledicodutour.com Le dico du Tour / Le Tour de France de 1947 à 2008] (French)
* [http://tour2008.inway.fr 2008 Tour de France: Stage by stage] Interactive application with Google Maps