'A legend shattered'

Tour de France ends with a whimper

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Posted: Tuesday September 22, 1998 05:13 PM

PARIS (CNN/SI) -- An air of excitement and anticipation has always surrounded the end of the Tour de France as cycling's premier event would prepare to crown its king for the following year.

In the past the event united the cycling enthusiasts to the man in the street as it captured the public's attention and the media's headlines for a sport often relegated to the back pages.

So it was that the riders of the 1998 Tour de France once more raced up the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe, but instead of success and elation the general feeling appeared to be one of relief that the tour was over.

Many just seemed glad to see it end.

"It's kind of been spoiled this time," said 14-year-old Maxime Ouanhon, who came to watch the conclusion to a race that is regarded as a French sports treasure.

The race was won by Italy's Marco Pantani on Sunday, but the talk in France was less about cycling and more about the drug revelations that seemed to grow each day for three weeks.

"A Legend Shattered," read Sunday's headline in Le Monde, the respected newspaper that shocked the cycling world in mid-race by calling for the Tour to stop.

To emphasize the point, a front-page cartoon displayed an undertaker at the podium, handing out a medal shaped as a syringe.

Yet it showed not only a cyclist on the podium but also a swimmer and a weightlifter, underscoring a widely held conviction among French fans: Drugs hit many sports, and the cyclists were singled out.

All the problems of the Tour could not diminish the glow from the World Cup triumph from three weeks ago. Signs along the road cycling route thanked the French soccer team and its coach for the stunning victory over Brazil.

But as the race wound its way through the French countryside, and the drug investigation widened, fans began to express support for the cyclists and anger at police tactics.

"We are with you!" one banner said in eastern France. "It's hypocrisy!" said another in Switzerland.

The Tour de France has been around since 1903, stopping only for the two world wars. It unites the French people more than any other sports event.

"I've been here for the ending 23 times," Jacky Muzard said on the Champs-Elysees. "I'm very relieved - I thought it might not make it this time." He wore a Tour de France T-shirt from 1976 that he's donned each year since.

On Sunday, many fans seemed to realize the precarious the state of their beloved race.