1998 Texaco Grand Prix of Houston
The race was the scene of an infamous Lap 48 collision between winner Franchitti and his Team KOOL Green teammate, Paul Tracy. While running second, Tracy attempted to pass Franchitti on the inside going into the left-handed Turn 6; however, Franchitti was already making the turn, leading to the teammates touching, and Tracy spinning, brushing the inside wall enough to bend his left front suspension, ending his race. This led to a terse conversation over the radio between Tracy and team owner Barry Green. When Tracy returned to pit road, he and Green nearly came to blows in plain view of television cameras and the crowd on the start-finish straight. Ironically, within days of their near fistfight, Tracy and Green agreed to a four-year contract extension.


1998 Texaco/Havoline 200
The 1998 Texaco/Havoline 200 was the fourteenth round of the 1998 CART FedEx Champ Car World Series season, held on August 16, 1998, at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Dario Franchitti won the race, his first career win in CART. The race was also notable for a crash in which Alex Barron ended up on top of Bryan Herta.


1998 Texas A&M Aggies football team
The 1998 Texas A&M Aggies football team completed the season with an 11–3 record. The Aggies had a regular season Big 12 Conference record of 7–1, followed by an upset win against Kansas State in the 1998 Big 12 title game. Because of this, the team was invited to the Sugar Bowl, where they lost to Ohio State 24-14.


1998 Texas A&M Aggies football team, Game summaries, Louisiana Tech
Texas A&M's 28–7 win over Louisiana Tech was forfeited on September 23 after Aggie running back D'Andre Hardeman was discovered to have been academically ineligible. Since Hardeman had played in the first two games of the 1998 season, he was disqualified from playing for the remainder of the year.


1998 Texas A&M Aggies football team, Game summaries, Nebraska
This game began the Aggies' annual Maroon Out tradition. A&M scored a dramatic upset at home over undefeated Nebraska. Two 100-yard rushers for the Aggies in Dante Hall(113) and Ja’mar Toombs(110).


1998 Texas Longhorns football team
The 1998 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin during the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. They were represented in the Big 12 Conference in the South Division. They played their home games at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. The team was coached by head coach Mack Brown.


1998 Texas Longhorns football team, Regular season
Ricky Williams had a sensational senior season, highlighted by rushing for nine touchdowns and 385 yards in the season's first two games; rushing for 318 yards and six touchdowns against Rice; rushing for 350 yards and five touchdowns against Iowa State; and rushing for 150 yards against Nebraska's legendary Blackshirts defense. He also helped beat longtime rival Oklahoma rushing for 166 rushing yards and two scores.


1998 Texas Longhorns football team, Regular season
Williams broke the career rushing record during the annual rivalry game held the day after Thanksgiving (this particular year fell on November 27, 1998) between Texas and Texas A&M. Needing only 63 yards to break Tony Dorsett's 22-year-old NCAA Division I-A all-time rushing record (6,082), Ricky Williams approached the line of scrimmage with 1:45 seconds left in the first quarter having already rushed for 54 yards.


1998 Texas Longhorns football team, Regular season
At first and ten on the Texas forty yard line, quarterback Major Applewhite handed off to Williams who broke two tackles, sprinted into open field and received a down field block from receiver Wane McGarity for a 60-yard touchdown run and the record. Williams' record-breaking run gave Texas a 10–0 lead in its eventual 26–24 upset of sixth-ranked Texas A&M. He finished the game racking up 295 yards.


1998 Texas Longhorns football team, Regular season
He also broke the NCAA Division I-A career rushing touchdowns and career scoring records in 1998 with 73 and 452 respectively (topped one year later by Miami University's Travis Prentice), and rushed for 200 or more yards in twelve different games (an NCAA record he shares with Dayne and USC's Marcus Allen). Williams won the 64th Heisman Trophy, becoming the second Texas Longhorn to win this honor, joining Earl Campbell. Williams was sometimes known as the "Texas Tornado."


1998 Texas Longhorns football team, Regular season, Schedule
The Longhorns finished the regular season with an 8–3 record and defeated #25 Mississippi State in the 1999 Cotton Bowl Classic, 38–11.


1998 Texas Longhorns football team, 1998 team players in the NFL
The following players were drafted into professional football following the season.


1998 Texas Longhorns football team, Game summaries, at #5 Kansas State
Kansas State welcomed Texas for their first Big 12 Conference matchup, and first meeting since 1942, and Texas' first trip to Manhattan since 1926. 1998 Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams was held to just 43 yards on 25 carries for an average of just 1.7 yards per carry. He did not score in the game. Williams averaged 202 rushing yards per game in 1998 and was held to a season low 43 years, his next lowest yardage output was 90 yards against Oklahoma State. K-State racked up 223 yards on the ground on 51 carries and the Wildcats won handily, 48–7.


1998 Texas Rangers season
The 1998 Texas Rangers season involved the Rangers finishing 1st in the American League west with a record of 88 wins and 74 losses. It would be the team's second post-season appearance, but the team would be swept 3-0 by the New York Yankees.


1998 Texas Rangers season, Regular season
During the season, Rick Helling would be the last pitcher to win at least 20 games in one season for the Rangers in the decade.


1998 Texas Rangers season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; R = Runs; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In; Avg. = Batting Average; Slg. = Slugging Average; SB = Stolen Bases


1998 Texas Rangers season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1998 Texas Rangers season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1998 Texas Rangers season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1998 Texas Rangers season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1998 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team
The 1998 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University in the Big 12 Conference (Big 12) during the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their 12th season under head coach Spike Dykes, the Red Raiders compiled a 7–5 record (4–4 against Big 12 opponents), finished in third place in Southern Division of the Big 12, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 315 to 215. The team played its home games at Clifford B. and Audrey Jones Stadium in Lubbock, Texas.


1998 Texas gubernatorial election
The 1998 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998, to elect the Governor of Texas. Incumbent Republican Governor George W. Bush was re-elected in a landslide over 4-term Democratic Texas Land Commissioner Garry Mauro, winning 68% of the vote to Mauro's 31%. Bush's 37% margin of victory was the largest won by any candidate since 1966 and is, to date, the largest ever won by a Republican candidate.


1998 Texas gubernatorial election
Bush carried 239 counties, while Mauro carried just 15. Exit polls revealed that Bush won 27% of the African-American vote, which was the highest percentage for any Republican statewide candidate, and 49% of the Latino vote. Bush was sworn in for a second term as Governor on January 19, 1999. As of 2021, this is the most recent gubernatorial election in which El Paso County and Travis County voted for the Republican candidate.


1998 Texas gubernatorial election, Background
George W. Bush, the son of former President of the United States George H. W. Bush, was elected governor in 1994, defeating incumbent Democratic Governor Ann Richards. Upon taking office in January 1995, Bush had a low approval rating of 38%. Over the course of his first term, this increased significantly, reaching 70% in February 1997. Going into the election, Bush had an approval rating of 76%.


1998 Texas gubernatorial election, Campaign
Throughout the entire campaign, George W. Bush led in the polls by wide margins. After Garry Mauro declared his candidacy in November 1997, a Scripps Howard Texas Poll of 793 registered voters showed Bush leading by 68%–16%, with 14% undecided. George Bush spokeswoman Karen Hughes said, "The philosophical differences between Gov. Bush and Garry Mauro are clear and stark. Gov. Bush is a conservative, as most Texans are, and Garry Mauro is a liberal." In mid-June 1998, a Scripps Howard Texas Poll was conducted with Bush versus Mauro.


1998 Texas gubernatorial election, Campaign
The poll showed 70% likely voters support Bush, 17% favored Mauro, 11% were undecided, and 2% would vote for neither. Bush's approval rating was also virtually unchanged polling at 75%. In response to the poll, government professor Bruce Buchanan at the University of Texas at Austin said, "Gov. Bush looks to be unbeatable, but there's enough time for anything to happen. There is a slim chance for Mauro but still a real chance for him to reach voters with ad dollars and issue choices. It's just too early to call the November election in June."


1998 Texas gubernatorial election, Campaign
On June 22, 1998, Mauro called Bush out of touch saying, "Governor Bush is out of touch with the concerns of ordinary citizens and in bed with the giant HMO's." This was because in 1995, Bush vetoed the Patient Protection Act, which would have forced state-regulated healthcare organizations to allow their customers to choose their own doctor. The Patient Protection Act would have also mandated that insurance companies to cover cancer treatment received at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.


1998 Texas gubernatorial election, Campaign
Another Scripps Howard Texas Poll was conducted from August 12 to August 27, 1998. It indicated that 77% of likely voters support Bush, 20% favored Mauro, and 1% supported Libertarian candidate Lester Turlington Jr. About 10% were undecided and 2% didn't answer. Again, Bush's approval rating barely fell and was 74% of Texans remarked that he was doing a good to excellent job as governor. Allan Saxe, an assistant political science professor at the University of Texas said, "Now he's ahead [Bush] by an awfully huge margin. If Garry Mauro can close that to a 10 to 15 percent difference by election day, it will be a symbolic victory. But it will be hard to do – a 50-point difference is a big one." Among Hispanics, Bush led Mauro 51%–31%, down from 67%–20% in June.


1998 Texas gubernatorial election, Campaign
Bush and Mauro met for the sole gubernatorial election debate in El Paso on October 16, 1998. Initially, Bush seemed rather nervous and defensive. Mauro attacked Bush for his position on teachers salaries and support for a nuclear waste dump in Sierra Blanca. However, Bush was well prepared and attacked Mauro's tax and spending proposals, describing them as "overambitious". The results of the debate would have little impact on the general election in November.


1998 Texas gubernatorial election, Aftermath
Following his defeat, Garry Mauro was succeeded by David Dewhurst as the Commissioner of the General Land Office in early 1999. Mauro would later serve as the Texas State Chairman for various Democratic presidential candidates, including for Al Gore in 2000, Dick Gephardt in 2004, and Hillary Clinton in 2008. However, Mauro himself never sought political office again. Eventually, he opened a private law practice in his hometown of Austin.


1998 Texas gubernatorial election, Aftermath
George W. Bush was inaugurated for his second term as Governor of Texas on January 19, 1999. With his brother sworn-in as Governor of Florida earlier that month, George and Jeb Bush became the first two brothers to simultaneously serve as governors since Nelson and Winthrop Rockefeller from 1967 to 1971. Five months later, in June 1999, Bush announced his candidacy for President of the United States in 2000. At the 2000 Republican National Convention, Bush was nominated for President of the United States and narrowly won the election against Al Gore. On December 21, 2000, less than two years into his second term, George W. Bush resigned as Governor of Texas and was succeeded by Rick Perry.


1998 Thai Premier League
The 1998 Thai Premier League consisted of 12 teams. The bottom club would be relegated to the Thailand Division 1 League. The club that came 11th would play in a relegation / promotion match against the club that came second in the Thailand Division 1 League


1998 Thai Premier League
Defending Champions Royal Thai Air Force should have entered the next edition of the Asian Club Championship, but refused due to lack of funding. BEC Tero Sasana took their place.


1998 Thai Premier League
The league was also known as the Caltex Premier League.


1998 Thai Premier League, Promotion and relegation Playoff
The club that came 11th would play in a relegation / promotion match against the runner-up in the Thailand Division 1 League.


1998 Thai Premier League, Promotion and relegation Playoff
† Bangkok Metropolitan Administration remain at the Thai Premier League.


1998 Thai Premier League, Queens Cup
The Singha sponsored Queen's Cup was postponed because of lack of sponsorship, will be held next year but with reduced prize money.


1998 Thai Premier League, Thailand FA Cup
Bangkok Bank won the 1998 Thailand FA Cup, and their 3rd victory in this competition. It is unclear whom they beat in the final


1998 Thai Premier League, Yamaha Thailand Cup
1998 saw the 14th edition of the Yamaha Thailand Cup.


1998 Thai Premier League, Yamaha Thailand Cup
It was Thailand's main inter-provincial competition, played between qualifiers from various regions.


1998 Thai Premier League, Yamaha Thailand Cup
The first round saw four groups of four teams, of which the top two sides qualified for the Quarter-Final knockout stage.


1998 Thai Premier League, Yamaha Thailand Cup
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration beat Nakhon Si Thammarat in the final.


1998 Thai Premier League, Champions
The champion for the 1998 season was Sinthana. It was the team's first title.


1998 Thailand Masters
The 1998 Beer Chang Thailand Masters was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 7–15 March 1998 at the Imperial Queens Park Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand.


1998 Thailand Masters
Stephen Hendry won the tournament, defeating John Parrott 9–6 in the final. The defending champion, Peter Ebdon, was eliminated by Parrott in the quarter-finals. This win gave Hendry his 29th ranking title, surpassing the previous record of 28 held by Steve Davis.


1998 Thalgo Australian Women's Hardcourts
The 1998 Thalgo Australian Women's Hardcourts was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Hope Island Resort Tennis Centre in Hope Island, Queensland in Australia that was part of Tier III of the 1998 WTA Tour. It was the second edition of the tournament and was held from 4 January through 10 January 1998. Fourth-seeded Ai Sugiyama won the singles title and earned $27,000 first-prize money.


1998 Thalgo Australian Women's Hardcourts, Finals, Doubles
Elena Likhovtseva /  'Ai Sugiyama defeated  Sung-Hee Park /  Shi-Ting Wang 1–6, 6–3, 6–4.


1998 Thalgo Australian Women's Hardcourts – Doubles
Naoko Kijimuta and Nana Miyagi were the defending champions but did not compete that year.


1998 Thalgo Australian Women's Hardcourts – Doubles
Elena Likhovtseva and Ai Sugiyama won in the final 1–6, 6–3, 6–4 against Sung-Hee Park and Shi-Ting Wang.


1998 Thalgo Australian Women's Hardcourts – Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1998 Thalgo Australian Women's Hardcourts – Singles
Elena Likhovtseva was the defending champion but lost in the second round to Maria Vento.


1998 Thalgo Australian Women's Hardcourts – Singles
Ai Sugiyama won in the final 7–5, 6–0 against Vento.


1998 Thalgo Australian Women's Hardcourts – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated. The top two seeds received a bye to the second round.


1998 The Citadel Bulldogs football team
The 1998 The Citadel Bulldogs football team represented The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina in the 1998 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Don Powers served as head coach for the third season. The Bulldogs played as members of the Southern Conference and played home games at Johnson Hagood Stadium.


1998 Thomas & Uber Cup
The 1998 Thomas & Uber Cup was the 20th tournament of the Thomas Cup, and the 17th tournament of the Uber Cup, which are the major international team competitions in world badminton.


1998 Thomas & Uber Cup, Host city selection
China was originally selected as the host, with Shanghai as the competition site. IBF later moved the competition to Hong Kong due to sponsorship issues which preferred Hong Kong over Shanghai.


1998 Thomas & Uber Cup, Thomas Cup, Teams
49 teams took part in the competition, and eight teams qualified for the Final Stage, including Indonesia, as defending champion, and Hong Kong, as host team. 1998 Thomas Cup is considered one of the greatest Thomas Cup competitions because the score difference of the games is very close and the games are played tightly.


1998 Thomas & Uber Cup, Uber Cup, Teams
40 teams took part in the competition, and eight teams qualified for the Final Stage.


1998 Thomas Cup Group A
Following the detailed results of the Group A during the 1998 Thomas Cup held in Hong Kong in May 1998.


1998 Three Days of De Panne
The 1998 Three Days of De Panne was the 22nd edition of the Three Days of De Panne cycle race and was held on 31 March to 2 April 1998. The race started in Harelbeke and finished in De Panne. The race was won by Michele Bartoli.


1998 Three Rivers District Council election
Elections to Three Rivers Council were held on 7 May 1998. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.


1998 Tickford 500
The 1998 Tickford 500 was an endurance motor race for V8 Supercars. The event, which was the 33rd running of the Sandown 500, was held on 13 September 1998 at the Sandown International Motor Raceway. The race was won by Larry Perkins and Russell Ingall driving a Perkins Engineering Holden VT Commodore.


1998 Tickford 500, Class Structure
While still following long-term plans to abandon class structures within V8 Supercar, a class was instigated for the 1998 Tickford 500 and FAI 1000 Classic endurance races allowing smaller teams to save considerable budget by running a Dunlop control tyre, indicated here by CT. Most teams, particularly the professional teams, preferred to race with freedom of tyre choice, indicated by the class OC.


1998 Tickford 500, Top Ten Shootout
The top ten cars from Qualifying contested a Top Ten Shootout to determine the first ten grid positions for the race. Shootout results were as follows:


1998 Tickford 500, Official results
Note: The race was scheduled to be run over 161 laps, however the slower lap times dictated by the wet weather conditions resulted in the race being shortened after reaching its three-hour-45-minute time limit.


1998 Tippeligaen
The 1998 Tippeligaen was the 54th completed season of top division football in Norway. Each team played 26 games with 3 points given for wins and 1 for draws. Number thirteen and fourteen are relegated, number twelve has to play two qualification matches (home and away) against number three in the first division (where number one and two are directly promoted) for the last spot.


1998 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship
The 1998 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship was the 108th staging of the Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Tipperary County Board in 1887. The championship began on 27 September 1998 and ended on 1 November 1998.


1998 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship
On 1 November 1998, Toomevara won the championship after a 0-16 to 1-10 defeat of Clonoulty-Rossmore in the final at Semple Stadium. It was their 14th championship title overall and their first title since 1994.


1998 Tipperary county hurling team season
Tipperary competed in the 1998 National Hurling League and the 1998 Munster Championship. It was Len Gaynor's second year in charge of the team with Declan Ryan named as team captain. Finches continued as sponsors of Tipperary GAA.


1998 Tirreno–Adriatico
The 1998 Tirreno–Adriatico was the 33rd edition of the Tirreno–Adriatico cycle race and was held from 11 March to 18 March 1998. The race started in Sorrento and finished in San Benedetto del Tronto. The race was won by Rolf Järmann of the Casino team.


1998 Titius
1998 Titius, provisional designation 1938 DX1, is a metallic–carbonaceous asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 14 kilometers in diameter.


1998 Titius
It was discovered on 24 February 1938, by German astronomer Alfred Bohrmann at Heidelberg Observatory in southern Germany. On the same night, the body was also observed at the Finnish Turku Observatory. It was later named after astronomer Johann Daniel Titius.


1998 Titius, Orbit and classification
Titius orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.3–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 9 months (1,375 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.06 and an inclination of 8° with respect to the ecliptic. It stays in a 2:1 orbital resonance with the planet Mars. Titius' observation arc starts on the night following its official discovery observation.


1998 Titius, Physical characteristics, Diameter and albedo
According to observations carried out by the Japanese Akari and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Titius has an albedo between 0.093 and 0.126, and its diameter measures between 14.2 and 16.0 kilometers. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 10.8 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 12.2.


1998 Titius, Physical characteristics, Spectral type
Its spectral classification is that of a Xc-type asteroid in the SMASS taxonomy, a transitional spectral type between the two large main groups of metallic X-type and carbonaceous C-type asteroids. Both types are much darker than the stony S-type asteroids, which are also very common in the inner main-belt. In addition, Titius is also classified as a M-type asteroid by WISE.


1998 Titius, Physical characteristics, Rotation period
A rotational lightcurve of Titius was obtained from photometric observations by American astronomer Robert Stephens at the Californian Santana Observatory in March 2002. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 6.13±0.01 hours, during which its brightness amplitude varies by 0.30±0.04 magnitude (U=3).


1998 Titius, Naming
This minor planet was named after German astronomer Johann Daniel Titius (1729–1796), best known for formulating the Titius-Bode law, which states that each subsequent planet in the Solar System is roughly twice as far from the Sun than the previous one. He is also honored by the lunar crater Titius. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 15 October 1977 (M.P.C. 4237).


1998 Togolese presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Togo on 21 June 1998. Incumbent President Gnassingbé Eyadéma, in power since 1967, was re-elected with 52.1% of the vote according to official results. The opposition disputed this and claimed that Gilchrist Olympio of the Union of the Forces of Change (UFC) had won.


1998 Togolese presidential election, Campaign
Léopold Gnininvi of the Democratic Convention of African Peoples (CPDA) was the first declared candidate in the election, followed by Eyadéma, the candidate of the Rally of the Togolese People (RPT), and Yawovi Agboyibo of the Action Committee for Renewal (CAR).


1998 Togolese presidential election, Results
The Constitutional Court declared the final results on 10 July 1998. Eyadéma was sworn in on 24 July at a ceremony in the National Assembly, which was boycotted by the opposition.


1998 Toledo Rockets football team
The 1998 Toledo Rockets football team was an American football team that represented the University of Toledo in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their eighth season under head coach Gary Pinkel, the Rockets compiled a 7–5 record (6–2 against MAC opponents), finished in first place in the MAC's West Division, lost to Marshall in the MAC Football Championship Game (17–23), and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 229 to 216.


1998 Toledo Rockets football team
The team's statistical leaders included Chris Wallace with 2,476 passing yards, Wasean Tait with 625 rushing yards, and Ray Curry with 513 receiving yards.


1998 Tonga Club Championship
The 1998 season of the Tonga Club Championship was the 20th season of top flight association football competition in Tonga. Lotohaʻapai United won the championship for the first time, beginning the 11 title record streak in the Tonga Major League. Lotohaʻapai United beat Kolofoʻou FC 2-1 in the knockout final.


1998 Toray Pan Pacific Open
The 1998 Toray Pan Pacific Open was a women's tennis tournament played onindoor carpet courts at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan that was part of Tier I of the 1998 WTA Tour. It was the 23rd edition of the tournament and was held from 3 February 3 through 8 February 1998. Second-seeded Lindsay Davenport won the singles title and earned $150,000 first-prize money.


1998 Toray Pan Pacific Open, Header, Doubles
Martina Hingis /  Mirjana Lučić defeated  Lindsay Davenport /  Natasha Zvereva 7–5, 6–4


1998 Toray Pan Pacific Open – Doubles
Lindsay Davenport and Natasha Zvereva were the defending champions but lost in the final 7–5, 6–4 against Martina Hingis and Mirjana Lučić.


1998 Toray Pan Pacific Open – Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1998 Toray Pan Pacific Open – Singles
First-seeded Martina Hingis was the defending champion but lost in the final 6–3, 6–3 against second-seeded Lindsay Davenport.


1998 Toray Pan Pacific Open – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated. The top four seeds received a bye to the second round.


1998 Torneo Descentralizado
The 1998 season of the Torneo Descentralizado was the 83rd season of the top category of Peruvian football (soccer). It was played by 12 teams. The national champion was Universitario.


1998 Torneo Descentralizado
The national championship was divided into two half-year tournaments, the Torneo Apertura and the Torneo Clausura. Each was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The winners of each would play for the national title in a playoff. If the same club had won both tournaments, it would have won the national championship automatically.


1998 Torneo Descentralizado
Following-season Copa Libertadores berths went to the winner of each tournament, while the runners-up played for a Copa CONMEBOL spot. The bottom team on the aggregate table was relegated, while the eleventh place held a relegation/promotion playoff against the winner of the Segunda División (Second Division).


1998 Torneo Godó
The 1998 Torneo Godó was a men's tennis tournament played on Clay in Barcelona, Spain that was part of the ATP Championship Series of the 1998 ATP Tour. It was the 46th edition of the tournament and was held from 13 April until 19 April 1998.Unseeded Todd Martin won the singles title.


1998 Torneo Godó, Finals, Doubles
Jacco Eltingh /  Paul Haarhuis defeated  Ellis Ferreira /  Rick Leach, 7–5, 6–0.


1998 Torneo Godó – Doubles
The 1998 Torneo Godó was a men's tennis tournament played on Clay in Barcelona, Spain that was part of the International Series Gold of the 1998 ATP Tour. It was the 46th edition of the tournament and was held from 13–19 April 1998.


1998 Torneo Godó – Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1998 Torneo Godó – Singles
The 1998 Torneo Godó was a men's tennis tournament played on Clay in Barcelona, Spain that was part of the International Series Gold of the 1998 ATP Tour. It was the 46th edition of the tournament and was held from 13–19 April 1998.


1998 Torneo Godó – Singles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1998 Torneo Grandes de Centroamérica
The 1998 Torneo Grandes de Centroamérica was the 16th edition of the UNCAF Club Tournament and the third and last under this name. Costa Rican Deportivo Saprissa obtained its 4th regional title.


1998 Torneo di Viareggio
The 1998 winners of the Torneo di Viareggio (in English, the Viareggio Tournament, officially the Viareggio Cup World Football Tournament Coppa Carnevale), the annual youth football tournament held in Viareggio, Tuscany, are listed below.


1998 Torneo di Viareggio, Format
The 32 teams are seeded in 8 groups. Each team from a group meets the others in a single tie. The winning club and runners-up from each group progress to the final knockout stage. All matches in the final rounds are single tie. The Round of 16 envisions penalties and no extra time, while the rest of the final round matches include 30 minutes extra time and penalties to be played if the draw between teams still holds. Semifinal losing teams play 3rd-place final with penalties after regular time. The winning sides play the final with extra time and repeat the match if the draw holds.


1998 Toronto Argonauts season
The 1998 Toronto Argonauts finished in 3rd place in the East Division of the 1998 CFL season with a 9–9 record and lost the East Division Semi-Finals.


1998 Toronto Blue Jays season
The 1998 Toronto Blue Jays season was the franchise's 22nd season of Major League Baseball. It resulted in the Blue Jays finishing third in the American League East with a record of 88 wins and 74 losses, which was their best record since their 1993 World Series-winning season; the 88 wins were not surpassed until 2015.


1998 Toronto Blue Jays season
With the disappointing last-place finish of the previous year, General Manager Gord Ash once again dug into the wallet to improve the team, signing reliever Randy Myers and slugger José Canseco as free agents.


1998 Toronto Blue Jays season
Though the team improved noticeably (thanks to another pitching Triple Crown and Cy Young Award-winning campaign by ace hurler Roger Clemens and a powerful lineup that featured Canseco, Carlos Delgado, Shawn Green, and José Cruz, Jr.), they could not finish ahead of the New York Yankees or the Boston Red Sox, who won 114 and 92 games en route to winning the division crown and Wild Card respectively.


1998 Toronto Blue Jays season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; R = Runs; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; Avg. = Batting average; Slg. = Slugging Average; SB = Stolen bases


1998 Toronto Blue Jays season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1998 Toronto Blue Jays season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1998 Toronto Blue Jays season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1998 Toronto Blue Jays season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1998 Toronto International Film Festival
The 23rd Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 10 to September 19, 1998. A total of 311 films were screened during the ten-day festival, commencing with the opening gala, The Red Violin.


1998 Toshiba Classic
The 1998 Toshiba Classic was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the La Costa Resort and Spa in San Diego, California in the United States that was part of Tier II of the 1998 WTA Tour. It was the 20th edition of the tournament and was held from August 3 through August 9, 1998. Second-seeded Lindsay Davenport won the singles title and earned $79,000 first-prize money.


1998 Toshiba Classic, Finals, Doubles
Lindsay Davenport /  Natasha Zvereva defeated  Alexandra Fusai /  Nathalie Tauziat 6–2, 6–1


1998 Toshiba Classic – Doubles
Martina Hingis and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario were the defending champions but did not compete that year.


1998 Toshiba Classic – Doubles
Lindsay Davenport and Natasha Zvereva won in the final 6–2, 6–1 against Alexandra Fusai and Nathalie Tauziat.


1998 Toshiba Classic – Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1998 Toshiba Classic – Singles
Martina Hingis was the defending champion but lost in the semifinals to Mary Pierce.


1998 Toshiba Classic – Singles
Lindsay Davenport won in the final 6–3, 6–1 against Pierce.


1998 Toshiba Classic – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated. The top four seeds received a bye to the second round.


1998 Toulon Tournament
The 1998 Toulon Tournament was the 26th edition of the Toulon Tournament. The competition took place between 14 May and 23 May 1998  mostly in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of South Eastern France. Argentina achieved their second title, beating France 2–0 in the Final.


1998 Tour de France
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.


1998 Tour de France
The general classification leader's yellow jersey was first awarded to Chris Boardman of the GAN team, who won the prologue in Dublin. Following a crash by Boardman on stage 2 that caused his withdrawal, Ullrich's sprinter teammate Erik Zabel took the race lead. He lost it the next stage to Casino–Ag2r's Bo Hamburger, who took it after being in a breakaway. The day after, the yellow jersey switched to another rider from the same breakaway, Boardman's teammate Stuart O'Grady, who took vital seconds from time bonuses gained in intermediate sprints.


1998 Tour de France
He held it for a further three stages, until pre-race favourite Ullrich won stage 7's individual time trial, moving him into the overall lead. The next day, Laurent Desbiens of Cofidis finished in a breakaway with a large enough margin to put him in the yellow jersey. Ullrich regained the race lead two stages later as the Tour went into the Pyrenees. Following his poor showing in the opening week, Pantani placed second and first, respectively, on the two Pyreneean stages. He then won stage 15, the first in the Alps, to replace Ullrich in the yellow jersey, and kept it until the race's conclusion.


1998 Tour de France
Zabel won his third consecutive Tour points classification and Julich's teammate Christophe Rinero, fourth overall, was the winner of the mountains classification. Ullrich was the best young rider and the most combative was Casino–Ag2r's Jacky Durand. The team classification was won by Cofidis. Tom Steels of Mapei–Bricobi won the most stages, with four.


1998 Tour de France
The race was marred throughout by a doping scandal, known as the Festina affair. Before the Tour began, Willy Voet, an assistant of the Festina team, was arrested at the Franco-Belgian border when doping products were found in his car. The affair broadened and the team was expelled after top personnel admitted to widespread doping. Police raids on numerous teams during the course of the race led to two riders' strikes and the withdrawal of several teams and riders. Due to the controversy, the race became known by the nickname "Tour de Farce". In July 2013, retrospective tests for recombinant EPO made in 2004 were made public, revealing that 44 out of 60 samples returned positive tests.


1998 Tour de France, Teams
The organisers of the Tour, Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), cut the number of teams from 22 to 21 for the 1998 Tour, to reduce the number of crashes in the opening week of the race seen in recent editions, caused by the large number of riders. The first round of squads that were invited were the first sixteen teams in the ranking system of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), cycling's governing body, on 1 January 1998, provided that they were still in the top twenty after transfers were factored into the calculation. All these sixteen teams fulfilled this requirement.


1998 Tour de France, Teams
On 19 June, the ASO gave wildcard invitations to Asics–CGA, Cofidis, Riso Scotti–MG Maglificio and Vitalicio Seguros, with BigMat–Auber 93 receiving a special invitation. The presentation of the teams – where the members of each team's roster are introduced in front of the media and local dignitaries – took place outside the Front Gate of Trinity College Dublin in Ireland on the evening before the prologue stage, which began at the college.


1998 Tour de France, Teams
Each squad was allowed a maximum of nine riders, resulting in a start list total of 189 riders. Of these, 51 were riding the Tour de France for the first time. The riders came from 22 countries, with the majority of them coming from France, Italy and Spain. Jörg Jaksche (Team Polti) was the youngest rider at 21 years and 353 days on the day of the prologue, and the oldest was Massimo Podenzana (Mercatone Uno–Bianchi) at 36 years and 347 days. The Team Polti cyclists had the youngest average age while the riders on Mercatone Uno–Bianchi had the oldest.


1998 Tour de France, Pre-race favourites
Jan Ullrich (Team Telekom) was the defending champion. He had won the 1997 edition's overall general classification by over nine minutes. His Telekom team was considered as "clearly the squad to beat", having won the previous two editions with Bjarne Riis and Ullrich respectively. The 1997 Tour had seen a contest for leadership between Telekom's two captains, but for 1998 this had been resolved in Ullrich's favour.


1998 Tour de France, Pre-race favourites
During the winter break, Ullrich's training was impaired by the consequences of the fame and fortune that came with his Tour win, and his weight had increased from 73 kg (161 lb) to 87 kg (192 lb). In March 1998, El País headlined an article with "Ullrich is fat", which highlighted that he was still 8 kg (18 lb) over the weight he had during the previous Tour. His preparation suffered further when he was forced to retire from Tirreno–Adriatico with a cold.


1998 Tour de France, Pre-race favourites
However, Ullrich performed well in both the Tour de Suisse and the Route du Sud directly before the start of the Tour, erasing doubts over his form. He was therefore thought to be the clear favourite going into the 1998 Tour, with El País going so far as to write that "we can no longer speak of an open Tour, of a deck of suitors. There is talk of Ullrich, and then of the others." The route of the race was considered to be an advantage to Ullrich as well, with many time-trial kilometres and comparatively few mountain passes. The veteran Riis, who had raced the 1997 Tour with a cold, was seen as a capable backup option for the team.


1998 Tour de France, Pre-race favourites
The strongest challenge was expected to come from Festina–Lotus, which led the UCI team ranking prior to the start of the Tour. Their leading rider, Richard Virenque, had finished second to Ullrich the year before. The two long individual time trials were expected not to be in Virenque's favour, since he did not excel in the discipline. He was however a very good climber, having won the mountains classification in the four previous Tours.


1998 Tour de France, Pre-race favourites
The team was further strengthened by the arrival of Alex Zülle in the 1998 season, winner of the two previous editions of the three-week Grand Tour of Spain, the Vuelta a España, who was considered to be a competitor for overall victory in his own right. He was a leading pre-race favourite at Italy's Grand Tour, the Giro d'Italia, one month earlier, winning two of the three time trial stages and leading the race before he faltered badly in the final mountain stages to end the race in 14th overall. Another possible contender from Festina was Laurent Dufaux, who had finished fourth overall in 1996 and ninth in 1997.


1998 Tour de France, Pre-race favourites
Marco Pantani (Mercatone Uno–Bianchi) was considered the "dominant climber in the sport" at the time. In June, he had taken an "exceptionally impressive" overall victory at the Giro. Of his three appearances in the Tour up to that point, he had finished third in two of them, including in 1997. When the Tour's route was announced in October 1997, Pantani expressed dissatisfaction with the number of time trials and the fact that the race featured only two mountain-top finishes. Since the route was not to his liking, he originally had shown no interest in riding the race.


1998 Tour de France, Pre-race favourites
Following his victory at the Giro, Pantani raced only once, a criterium race in Bologna. His decision to ride the Tour was not made until Luciano Pezzi, his closest confidant and an important figure at Mercatone Uno, died suddenly in late June. Pantani decided to go to the Tour in honour of Pezzi, but had done very little training beforehand. A further disadvantage to Pantani was his lack of a strong domestique, unlike Ullrich and Virenque.


1998 Tour de France, Pre-race favourites
A returning pre-race favourite from the 1997 Tour was time trialist Abraham Olano; in that race, he won the final time trial stage and placed fourth overall. He led the experienced Banesto team, who took Miguel Induráin to his five straight Tour wins between 1991 and 1995, and had been seen as his successor. His weakness was thought to be his lack of strength on steep climbs. In his final race leading up to the Tour, the Volta a Catalunya, he performed poorly in the high mountains, and as a result was only seen as a podium contender. Banesto also fielded José María Jiménez, who as a strong mountain rider was considered a "major threat".


1998 Tour de France, Pre-race favourites
The final rider noted as a leading contender, named "the outsider", was the ONCE team leader Laurent Jalabert, a complete all-rounder who excelled in all road cycling disciplines. Although he was the reigning time trial world champion and the clear first in the UCI individual ranking before the Tour, he had only aimed to match his overall placing of fourth in 1995. The riders also named as outside favourites for overall victory were Michael Boogerd (Rabobank), Cofidis riders Francesco Casagrande and Bobby Julich, Evgeni Berzin (Française des Jeux), Fernando Escartín (Kelme–Costa Blanca), and Chris Boardman (GAN).


1998 Tour de France, Route and stages
The route of the 1998 Tour de France was officially announced during a presentation at the Palais des congrès in Paris on 23 October 1997. First negotiations about a potential start of the race in Ireland took place in October 1996, with the Irish government securing funding of IR£2 million to host the event. The opening stages (known as the Grand Départ) in Ireland were confirmed in early April 1997. Irish officials expected the race to bring in IR£30 million to the local economy. It was the first time that the Tour visited Ireland.


1998 Tour de France, Route and stages
The race paid tribute to two famous former Irish professional cyclists: on the day before the prologue, a commemoration service was held in Kilmacanogue for Shay Elliott, the first Irish rider to ride the Tour and win a stage, and during stage 2 of the race, the route went through Carrick-on-Suir, the hometown of Sean Kelly, four-time winner of the Tour's points classification. Stage 2 also commemorated the 200th anniversary of French troops landing at Killala Bay during the Irish Rebellion of 1798.


1998 Tour de France, Route and stages
The 1998 Tour was pushed back one week from its original start date, so as not to overlap too much with the 1998 FIFA World Cup, also held in France, which ended on 12 July, one day after the prologue. The 3,875 km (2,408 mi)-race lasted 23 days, including the rest day, and ended on 2 August. The longest mass-start stage was the fourth at 252 km (157 mi), and stage 20 was the shortest at 125 km (78 mi). The race contained three individual time trials, one of which was the prologue, totalling 115.6 km (71.8 mi).


1998 Tour de France, Route and stages
Of the remaining stages, twelve were officially classified as flat, two as mountain and five as high mountain. There were only two summit finishes, which were both at ski resorts, one at Plateau de Beille on stage 11 and another on stage 15 at Les Deux Alpes. The highest point of elevation in the race was 2,642 m (8,668 ft) at the summit of the Col du Galibier mountain pass on stage 15. It was among five hors catégorie (beyond category) rated climbs in the race. Cycling journalist Samuel Abt considered the route easier than the 1997 edition. Tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc countered criticism by Virenque and Pantani that the race was not mountainous enough, saying: "The course is tough enough with 23 mountains. That is eight more than last year."


1998 Tour de France, Route and stages
The Tour started with a prologue time trial around the streets of Dublin. Stage 1 was a loop that returned to the city, with the following stage travelling down the Irish eastern coast to Cork. The riders then travelled to France by plane, with the team vehicles and equipment following by sea. Just as the year before, the Tour took a counter-clockwise route through France. The course in France started in Roscoff in the north-western region of Brittany, with three stages taking the race to the centre of the country at Châteauroux.


1998 Tour de France, Route and stages
Stage 6 moved the Tour into the Massif Central highlands, which hosted the next stage. Two transitional stages to Pau then placed the race in the foothills of the Pyrenees, where two stages took place. Following the rest day, a three-stage journey crossed the south to three further stages in the Alps. The next stage took the Tour through the Jura Mountains to Switzerland, with the following stage crossing back over the border to Burgundy, where the penultimate stage took place. After a long transfer to the outskirts of Paris, the race ended with the Champs-Élysées stage.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Pre-Tour revelations
On 4 March 1998, a truck belonging to the Dutch TVM–Farm Frites team was seized by customs officers in Reims, France, revealing 104 vials of recombinant erythropoietin (EPO), a drug with performance-enhancing effects. The two mechanics in the truck were released and the vials were taken by the police, who said they had more "important matters" to be concerned with. During the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, a race held two weeks before the start of the Tour, Christophe Moreau of Festina tested positive for the anabolic steroid mesterolone. The UCI accepted Festina's explanation that the positive test was a result of the influence of a team masseur, and Moreau was allowed to start the Tour de France.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Pre-Tour revelations
Three days before the start of the Tour, on 8 July, Willy Voet, a soigneur (team assistant) with the Festina squad, was stopped by customs officers driving along a back road on the Franco–Belgian border. A routine check revealed that he carried a large quantity of performance-enhancing drugs with him. He was thereafter placed under arrest, initially claiming they were "for personal use". The following day, police carried out a search of Festina's headquarters in Meyzieu, close to Lyon.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Pre-Tour revelations
On the day before the prologue, a judicial inquiry was opened by the public prosecutor's office and Voet was held for investigation, with the story also breaking to the media. The Tour's organisation as well as Festina were quick to dismiss the news as having nothing to do with the race.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Early stages in Ireland
Chris Boardman covered the 5.6 km (3.5 mi) route of the prologue time trial fastest with a time of 6:12.36 minutes, gaining his third Tour prologue victory. Olano finished second, four seconds slower. Third to sixth place went to Jalabert, Julich, Moreau, and Ullrich, all five seconds behind Boardman. Marco Pantani meanwhile had not bothered to preview the course and finished 181st out of the 189 starters, 48 seconds slower than the winning time. Boardman was awarded the yellow and green jerseys as the leader of both the general and points classification respectively.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Early stages in Ireland
Tom Steels outsprinted Erik Zabel in stage 1's bunch sprint finish. Steels came to the Tour with the full support of his Mapei–Bricobi squad for the sprints, unlike Zabel's Team Telekom who were focused on Ullrich's pursuit for overall victory. Mario Cipollini (Saeco Macchine per Caffè), a favourite for the stage win, was held up 8 km (5.0 mi) from the end when he was involved in a crash with his teammate, Frederic Moncassin. Steels took the lead of the points classification from Boardman, who retained the overall lead. Steels's teammate Stefano Zanini was the first of a seven-rider breakaway group to reach the summit of the Wicklow Gap mountain pass, claiming the Tour's first available mountains classification points and the first polka-dot jersey.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Early stages in Ireland
Unlike other general classification favourites, who always rode at the front of the peloton (main group), Pantani spent the first days of the Tour at the back, surrounded by his teammates. This almost cost him, when during stage 2, which was raced largely on the wide N25 road, crosswinds split the field into several echelons. Pantani was caught out and only came back when yellow jersey-wearer Boardman crashed heavily. In the aftermath, the peloton slowed down, allowing Pantani to catch back up. Boardman meanwhile hit his head badly on a stone wall beside the road.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Early stages in Ireland
He was taken to hospital and had to abandon the Tour. Mapei–Bricobi rider Ján Svorada was involved in a crash with 15 km (9.3 mi) to go, but was able to recover and win the bunch sprint finish. Zabel, who before the stage stood in eighth position overall, had collected enough time bonuses in the intermediate sprints to take the yellow jersey.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Move to France and evolving doping scandal
Team Telekom's Jens Heppner won stage 3 from a two-rider sprint with Xavier Jan of Française des Jeux, after the pair had escaped late from a nine-rider breakaway. Bo Hamburger of Casino–Ag2r, who won two of the three intermediate sprints whilst in the escape group, took the overall lead. Svorada took the lead of the points classification, while Festina's Pascal Hervé led the mountains classification. The second and third-placed riders in the now much-changed general classification also came from the breakaway, with George Hincapie (U.S. Postal Service) two seconds down on Hamburger, and Stuart O'Grady (GAN) a further second behind.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Move to France and evolving doping scandal
Hincapie and O'Grady went head to head for the time bonuses in stage 4's three intermediate sprints in pursuit of the race lead. O'Grady won two of them to end the day with an eleven-second overall advantage over both Hincapie and Hamburger. The stage was won by Jeroen Blijlevens (TVM) from an uphill bunch sprint at Cholet in the Loire Valley. Cipollini suffered his third crash of the Tour at the end of stage 4, accumulating eight separate injuries, but was able to avoid the multiple crashes in the next stage to win the bunch sprint finish. Svorada was disqualified for causing a crash at the end of the stage, losing the points he had earned from his tenth-place finish. Svorada's green jersey went to Zabel, who finished second in the stage. Cipollini won the following stage, from a bunch sprint into Brive-la-Gaillarde.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Move to France and evolving doping scandal
As the ferry reached French soil overnight into 14 July, the day of stage 3, all team vehicles were meticulously searched at customs. During the day, Voet admitted to police that he had been following team orders, with Festina's team doctor Eric Rijkaert publicly denying he administered any banned substances. The next day, the team manager Bruno Roussel and Rijkaert were taken into police custody. Before the start of stage 5, Jean-Marie Leblanc announced at a press conference that the professional licences held by Roussel and Rijkaert had been provisionally suspended by the UCI. At the same time, Festina riders Richard Virenque, Laurent Brochard and Laurent Dufaux stated their intention to carry on racing. During stage 6, Roussel and Rijkaert confessed to systematic doping in the Festina squad. This led to the Tour organisation to expel the team ahead of the following stage.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Move to France and evolving doping scandal
Before the start of stage 7 Virenque, on behalf of Festina, held a private meeting with Leblanc to plead for the team to be allowed to continue, but to no avail. As a result the team mechanics for Festina stopped getting the bikes ready and returned them to storage.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Move to France and evolving doping scandal
Following a private team meeting Festina managers then decided to allow their riders to decide for themselves whether or not they wanted to defy this expulsion and show up at the start gate for their time trial and soon after this meeting Festina mechanics began preparing the bikes and loading them on to the team cars as the press swarmed in amusement. Armin Meier was the first scheduled Festina rider, at 12:34, but his time came and went with no rider showing up to the start gate.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Move to France and evolving doping scandal
Still there was speculation that Festina was going to defy the Tour organizers and the reality of a confrontation only got closer as team cars left their hotel and headed for the start gate. Being a strong and organized team their next rider was not due to go off until 14:18 with Neil Stephens.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Move to France and evolving doping scandal
Stephens did not appear at the start gate as he and the rest of the team were in yet another meeting, once again with Jean-Marie Leblanc, General Director of the Tour de France who informed Team Festina that he was standing by the decision to expel them and they would not be allowed to start the time trial. It was following this meeting that Richard Virenque held his now infamous emotional press conference where he and the rest of the team grudgingly accepted the expulsion.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Move to France and evolving doping scandal
Stage 7, the hilly and technical first long individual time trial, was won by Ullrich, 1:10 minutes ahead of U.S. Postal Service's Tyler Hamilton, with Julich in third a further eight seconds behind. O'Grady was fifteenth with a deficit of 3:17 minutes, and lost the yellow jersey to Ullrich, who was now 1:18 minutes in front of Hamburger and Julich on the same time in second and third respectively. Pantani finished thirty-third, 4:21 minutes slower than Ullrich, he said later that he had held himself back in anticipation of the upcoming Pyrenees. Zanini regained the polka dot jersey.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Move to France and evolving doping scandal
Stage 8 was held in very high temperatures. A group of six riders reached the finish 7:45 minutes ahead of the peloton. The sprint was won by Jacky Durand of Casino–Ag2r, who had been in an escape group on every road stage so far. Four riders from the group gained enough time to move to the top of the general classification, with Cofidis's Laurent Desbiens taking the yellow jersey.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Move to France and evolving doping scandal
Temperatures increased to a high of 44 °C (111 °F) during the following stage, which was won by Rabobank rider Léon van Bon in a final sprint, contested between a four-man breakaway. The closing field followed 12 seconds later. Second-place finisher Jens Voigt (GAN) collected enough mountains classification points from within the breakaway to take the polka-dot jersey. Two-time stage winner Cipollini dropped out during this stage.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Pyrenees
Stage 10 saw the race move into the high mountains, starting with the Pyrenees. On the way to Luchon, four mountain passes had to be crossed: the Col d'Aubisque, the Col du Tourmalet, the Col d'Aspin and finally the Col de Peyresourde, followed by 15.5 km (9.6 mi) of downhill to the finish line. A total of 30 riders fell on the wet and foggy descent of the Aubisque, including overall contenders Olano, Jalabert and Francesco Casagrande, with the latter being one of six that retired from the race.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Pyrenees
A three-rider breakaway of Cédric Vasseur (GAN) and Casino–Ag2r teammates Rodolfo Massi and Alberto Elli formed by the foot of the Tourmalet. The pace set by Team Telekom halfway up this climb split the peloton, with yellow jersey wearer Desbiens dropped. Massi moved clear from his fellow riders in the breakaway group on the steep section midway on the 13 km (8.1 mi)-long last climb, and also at the same point after, a move by Ullrich formed a small group of elite riders which included pre-race favourites Pantani, Julich, Riis, Boogerd, Escartín and Jiménez.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Pyrenees
Close to the top, Pantani launched a successful attack and summitted with an advantage of 42 seconds, but was unable to catch the soloing Massi on the descent, who took the stage victory as well as the lead of the mountains classification. Pantani finished second, 33 seconds behind. Ullrich followed with the other favourites, a further 23 seconds back, to regain the yellow jersey, while Julich moved up to second overall.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Pyrenees
The following stage 11 featured the first mountain-top finish of the 1998 Tour. The peloton agreed not to begin racing until after the first 45 km (28 mi), when they stopped to pay their respects at the memorial to Fabio Casartelli on the Col de Portet d'Aspet, who crashed and died there during the 1995 Tour. As the field reached the bottom of the 16 km (9.9 mi) climb to the finish at Plateau de Beille, Ullrich had a tyre puncture.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Pyrenees
Pantani was unaware of this and was about to attack, before being stopped by his teammate Roberto Conti, as it breaches the unwritten rules of the peloton to attack a rider when they have mechanical issues. Having waited for Ullrich to regain contact, Pantani waited until 4 km (2.5 mi) from the finish to attack, and after passing the sole breakaway rider, Roland Meier (Cofidis), he took the stage win. Following Meier and a group of five led by Julich, Ullrich crossed the finish line in eighth place, 1:40 minutes down on Pantani. After the two stages in the Pyrenees, Ullrich led the general classification, 1:11 minutes ahead of Julich, with both Jalabert and Pantani 3:01 minutes down in third and fourth. Olano, a notable pre-race favourite, withdrew from the Tour halfway through the stage.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Transition stages and rider unrest
After the rest day, stage 12 followed a flat course between Tarascon-sur-Ariège and Cap d'Agde. The riders were unhappy with the looming expulsion of the TVM team, against which the police had renewed their investigation which was started in March. Likewise, journalists going through waste containers at team hotels, searching for evidence of performance-enhancing drugs, drew anger from the peloton. Some riders also spoke out against the announcement by the UCI to move forward the introduction of new health tests. As the riders lined up with their bikes at the start of the stage, Jalabert broadcast a statement on their behalf on the race's official station, Radio Tour, saying "We are fed up with being treated like cattle. So we are going to behave like cattle."


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Transition stages and rider unrest
Following this, the majority of the riders sat down on the road and refused to continue, while others willing to start stood around, unsure what to do. The instigators of the strike were Jalabert, Blijlevens, Max Sciandri (Française des Jeux), and Prudencio Induráin (Vitalicio Seguros) as well as ONCE's team manager Manolo Saiz. Leblanc negotiated with the team managers and they voted 14–6 in agreement to begin the stage. The peloton and vehicles slowly set off, but a Jalabert-led group of about 40 refused.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Transition stages and rider unrest
They eventually relented and caught up to the rest 16 km (9.9 mi) ahead, and the race started, exactly two hours after the scheduled time. It was at this point that the stage was officially started. After about 40 km (25 mi), Jalabert then went on the attack over a short climb with his brother Nicolas (Cofidis) and Bart Voskamp (TVM), with the group building up a lead of about five minutes. Team Telekom gave chase at a high pace, temporarily putting Pantani into difficulty as crosswinds created echelons in the peloton. The trio of escapees were eventually brought back.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Transition stages and rider unrest
Steels took his second stage win of the Tour in a bunch sprint finish, but withheld any celebrations following the events of the stage. The stage, shortened by 16 km (9.9 mi) to account for the delay caused by the strike, was run at an average speed of 48.764 km/h (30.301 mph), the third-fastest stage in Tour history.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Transition stages and rider unrest
Stage 13 saw a breakaway by six riders, among them Daniele Nardello and Andrea Tafi, both of Team Mapei–Bricobi. They worked together at the finish to ensure Nardello took Mapei's fourth stage win. At the only classified climb of the day, Luc Leblanc (Team Polti) put in an attack, but was brought back by Riis. The following day's stage brought the Tour to Grenoble at the foot of the Alps. The stage was won by O'Grady, again from a breakaway.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Transition stages and rider unrest
In the press conference after, Ullrich was asked whether his team would be capable of supporting him in the Alps and, after initially appearing upbeat, he ended his response with: "Even if I don't have the yellow jersey in Paris, I want to give my compliments to the team". Pantani, who still stood at fourth overall, was quoted saying: "My main goal now is to win in Les Deux-Alpes."


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Alps and second strike
Stage 15 was the first of three Alpine stages. After a warm start in Grenoble, the weather soon deteriorated, with cold temperatures, rain and fog impeding the riders. The route contained four classified climbs, including the hors categorie Col de la Croix de Fer and Col du Galibier, and ending with a summit finish at Les Deux Alpes. On the Croix de Fer, Massi bridged over to a breakaway group and scored maximum points for the mountains classification, a feat he repeated on the second climb of the day, the Col du Télégraphe.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Alps and second strike
By this point, the lead group contained only Massi, Christophe Rinero (Cofidis) and Marcos-Antonio Serrano (Kelme–Costa Blanca). Behind them in the group of the main favourites, the high climbing tempo put Jalabert into difficulty, which ultimately saw him drop far down the general classification by the end of the stage. After the short descent of the Télégraphe, the race reached the Galibier, where Riis cracked following his work reeling back attackers, leaving Ullrich without a teammate.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Alps and second strike
With 6 km (3.7 mi) remaining to the summit of the Galibier, Pantani made the decisive move of the race, attacking from the group of favourites. By the summit of the climb, Pantani had passed all the breakaway riders and was out in front alone, leading by ten seconds. Ullrich reached the top 2:41 minutes behind Pantani. Crucially, unlike Pantani, he did not wear a raincoat during the descent. He subsequently suffered from the cold temperatures and hyperglycemia for the rest of the stage.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Alps and second strike
The breakaway caught up to Pantani on the descent of the Galibier, forming a group of strong climbers. Before the final climb to Les Deux Alpes, Ullrich had a tyre puncture and was distanced by the group of chasers. On the climb, Pantani soon moved clear of his group and took the stage victory, almost two minutes ahead of Massi in second place. Ullrich finished with teammates Udo Bölts and Riis 8:57 minutes after Pantani, who took over the yellow jersey. He led Julich by 3:53 minutes, with Escartín in third place in the general classification, ahead of Ullrich.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Alps and second strike
Before the following stage to Albertville, speculation spread that Ullrich would abandon the race. Pantani's Mercatone Uno team coped well in defending his race lead over the four lesser categorised climbs, until the race reached the hors categorie final climb, the Col de la Madeleine, when Ullrich attacked, with only Pantani able to follow. Ullrich led the duo up the rest of the climb as they passed the breakaway riders and increased their advantage over the chasing Julich, who was accompanied by two teammates. The pair held their lead of around two minutes along the final 17 km (11 mi) of flat, where at the finish, Ullrich outsprinted Pantani to the stage win. Pantani now led Julich by 5:42 minutes, with Ullrich third, 14 seconds behind Julich.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Alps and second strike
Another police raid on the TVM team and news about alleged mistreatment of the Festina riders while in custody led to another riders' strike on stage 17. After a brief stop of two minutes at the start, the riders rode slowly to the first intermediate sprint of the day, where they climbed off their bikes and sat on the road. Jalabert climbed into his team car and retired from the race.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Alps and second strike
Meanwhile, Jean-Marie Leblanc negotiated with the riders and collected guarantees from a civil servant from the French Ministry of the Interior, who was visiting the Tour as a guest, that police treatment of the riders would improve. Nevertheless, the entire ONCE team followed their leader Jalabert and abandoned the race. As the riders slowly got moving again, they ripped off their race numbers as a further sign of protest. Luc Leblanc retired later in the stage. At the feed zone, the Banesto squad joined their fellow Spanish-based ONCE team in quitting, as did the Italian-based Riso Scotti team.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Alps and second strike
The field reached the finishing town, Aix-les-Bains, two hours behind schedule. The TVM team was allowed to cross the line first as a sign of solidarity; the stage was annulled and no results counted. Overnight, two more Spanish-based teams, Kelme and Vitalicio Seguros, also decided not to carry on in the Tour. This caused the retirement of the fourth rider overall, Escartín of Kelme.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Conclusion
Before stage 18 into Neuchâtel in Switzerland, police held Massi, who was still the leader in the mountains classification, for questioning after corticoids were allegedly found in his room during a search of the Casino team hotel. He was therefore unable to start the stage, and the lead of the mountains classification was passed to the second placed rider, Rinero. Victory went to Steels, who outsprinted Zabel and O'Grady at the finish. The remaining five riders from TVM exited the race on Swiss soil before the start of the following day. Stage 19 went back into France and saw a breakaway of 13 riders. Four riders broke away from the lead group to contest the stage win between them, with Magnus Bäckstedt (GAN) coming out on top.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Conclusion
The penultimate stage saw the last individual time trial of the race to Le Creusot. Ullrich won the stage, 1:01 minutes ahead of Julich, to move into second place overall. Pantani finished the stage third, 2:35 minutes behind Ullrich, effectively sealing his victory in the general classification. The final stage on the Champs-Élysées in Paris was won by Steels from a bunch sprint, while Pantani finished safely in the peloton to secure the Tour win. Ullrich ended the Tour in second place, with a deficit of 3:21 minutes, with Julich a further 47 seconds behind in third.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Conclusion
Pantani was greeted on the podium by Felice Gimondi, who had been invited by Jean-Marie Leblanc to present to the crowd the first Italian winner since his own victory in 1965. Zabel won his third consecutive points classification with a total of 327, 97 ahead of O'Grady in second. Although Pantani won two high mountain stages, the mountains classification was won by the more consistent Rinero, whose total of 200 points was 25 more than that of second-placed Pantani. Due to the high number of abandons because of the Festina affair, only 96 riders reached the finish in Paris. Only Team Telekom and U.S. Postal Service ended the Tour with all nine riders still racing.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Doping
The prevalence of EPO in the cycling peloton had been a topic of debate since the early 1990s. The first news stories about the drug appeared in 1994. The UCI gave the task of developing a test for EPO to Francesco Conconi, a professor at the University of Ferrara, Italy, and a member of the UCI Medical Commission. In June 1996, Conconi, seemingly unable to find a definite test for the substance, proposed to the UCI to introduce a test for an athlete's hematocrit level instead, which tested how many red cells were in a rider's blood.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Doping
During the UCI's meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, on 24 January 1997, the procedure, labelled as a "health test", limiting the allowed hematocrit level to 50 per cent, was introduced. If a rider returned a value higher than 50 per cent, they were not allowed to compete for a two-week period. However, as cycling journalist Alasdair Fotheringham noted, "the 50 per cent threshold became a target to aim for" instead of a reliable deterrent to using EPO.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Doping
The doping scandal that occurred throughout the Tour became known as the Festina affair, starting with the arrest of Voet. Initially, the suspicion only surrounded the Festina and TVM teams, but later investigations and retrospective tests revealed the doping abuse was far more widespread. Even while the race was running, media sources coined nicknames for it, such as the "Tour de Farce" or "Tour du Dopage" (Tour of Doping). Following Festina's expulsion from the race, the police investigation against the TVM team in March was made public by Le Parisien and the case reopened.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Doping
Many riders in the Tour reacted to the developing scandal by hiding or destroying evidence of doping. Rolf Aldag (Team Telekom) said he flushed his doping products down the toilet before the race began in Dublin. His teammate Bjarne Riis said in his autobiography that he disposed of his vials of EPO in the toilet after stage 3. Likewise, the U.S. Postal team flushed their drugs down the toilet following Voet's arrest, according to Tyler Hamilton.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Doping
According to Jörg Jaksche, the Polti squad hid their supply of EPO in a vacuum cleaner on the team bus; Jaksche believed that most Italian teams kept their drugs during the race as well. Philippe Gaumont claimed in his autobiography that the Cofidis team were told by team management to destroy their substances on the day the Festina team was expelled, with the riders subsequently going into a forest to dispose of the evidence. Julich said he quit doping altogether during the 1998 Tour.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Doping
After their arrests, Voet, Roussel, and Rijckaert gave the police confessions detailed the doping practices at Festina. Roussel said that one per cent of the team's budget (around €40,000) was used to pay for EPO and human growth hormones. The Festina riders were placed under custody and brought into individual prison cells, and allegedly subjected to cavity searches. On 24 July, four Festina riders confessed to taking performance-enhancing drugs, with the first being Alex Zülle. The only riders to deny the allegations were Virenque and Neil Stephens. Examinations carried out on the nine Festina riders on 23 July, with the results being published on 28 November, revealed that eight riders took EPO and four amphetamines. Virenque was the only rider not to test positive in these tests.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Doping
On 23 July, the Tour's rest day, TVM's manager Cees Priem and team doctor Andrei Mikhailov were arrested by the police. At the beginning of August, team soigneur Johannes Moors was taken into custody as well. Priem and Moors were released on 10 August. The TVM riders were also questioned by the police on 4 August and held for about 12 hours, before they were released. However, no banned substances were found during the raid at TVM's team hotel during the Tour. At ONCE and BigMat, police did find performance-enhancing drugs during their raids.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Doping
ONCE maintained that the substances were for medical use of the team staff. Police called in twelve riders from BigMat for questioning along with the directeur sportif and some soigneurs a week after the end of the Tour because of "330 bottles and ampoules of drugs" found in the team's truck.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Doping
The legal investigation into doping at the 1998 Tour was given to judge Patrick Keil shortly after the race concluded. He handed in his 5539-page report on the matter at the beginning of July 1999, which laid the groundwork for subsequent legal proceedings against team staff and riders. Virenque confessed during a court hearing concerning the Festina affair, on 24 October 2000. Virenque received a nine-month racing ban and a suspended prison sentence. Voet was sentenced to a suspended ten months in prison and a fine of 3,000 franc. Roussell received a one-year suspended sentence and a 50,000 franc fine. Lesser verdicts were handed out to "two masseurs, the team's logistics manager, the team doctor at the Spanish ONCE team, Nicolas Terrados, and two pharmacists".


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Doping
During the Tour, 108 tests for performance-enhancing drugs were carried out by France's main anti-doping laboratory in Châtenay-Malabry. All of them were negative. In 2004, 60 remaining anti-doping samples given by riders during the 1998 Tour were tested retrospectively for recombinant EPO by using three recently developed detection methods. The tests produced 44 positive results and 9 negatives, with the remaining 7 samples not returning any result due to sample degradation. At first, the rider names with a positive sample were not made public, as it had only been conducted as scientific research.


1998 Tour de France, Race overview, Doping
In July 2013, the anti-doping committee of the French Senate decided it would benefit the current doping fight to shed full 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 sample IDs along with the result of the retrospective test. This revealed, that the 9 negative samples belonged to 5 riders (of whom two nevertheless had confessed using EPO in that Tour), while the 44 positive samples belonged to 33 riders – including race winner Pantani, Ullrich, Julich, and Zabel. Julich had already admitted in 2012 that he had used EPO from August 1996 to July 1998.


1998 Tour de France, Classification leadership and minor prizes
There were several classifications in the 1998 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. Jan Ullrich wore the yellow jersey in the prologue as the winner of the previous edition. Time bonuses were given during the first half of the Tour to the first three finishers on each stage, excluding mountain stages and time trials. The winner received a 20-second bonus, the second finisher 12 seconds and the third rider 8 seconds. During the first half of the race, intermediate sprints also had time bonuses, with bonuses of 6, 4, and 2 seconds given to the first three riders to cross the line.


1998 Tour de France, Classification leadership and minor prizes
Additionally, there was a points classification, in which cyclists got points for finishing among the best in a stage finish, or in intermediate sprints. In flat stages, the first 25 finishers received points, 35 for the stage winner down to 1 point for 25th place. In medium mountain stages, the top-20 finishers received points, with 25 points for the stage winner down to 1 point. In mountain stages, the first 15 finishers received points, with 20 points given to the stage winner. In time trials, 15 points were given to the winner, down to 1 point for the tenth-placed finisher. Points could also be won during intermediate sprints along the race route, with 6, 4, and 2 points for the first three riders across the line respectively. The cyclist with the most points led the classification, and was identified by a green jersey.


1998 Tour de France, Classification leadership and minor prizes
There was also a mountains classification. Most stages of the race included one or more categorised climbs, in which points were awarded to the riders that reached the summit first. The climbs were categorised as fourth-, third-, second- or first-category and hors catégorie, with the more difficult climbs rated lower. The first rider to cross the summit of an hors catégorie climb was given 40 points (down to 1 point for the 15th rider). Twelve riders received points for first category climbs, with 30 for the first rider to reach the summit. Second-, third- and fourth-category climbs gave 20, 10 and 5 points to the first rider respectively. The cyclist with the most points led the classification, wearing a white jersey with red polka dots.


1998 Tour de France, Classification leadership and minor prizes
The young rider classification, which was not marked by a jersey, was decided the same way as the general classification, but only riders under 26 years were eligible. This meant that in order to compete in the classification, a rider had to be born after 1 January 1973. 34 out of the 189 starters were eligible. Jan Ullrich won the classification for the third time in a row.


1998 Tour de France, Classification leadership and minor prizes
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.


1998 Tour de France, Classification leadership and minor prizes
In addition, there was a combativity award given after each mass-start stage to the cyclist considered the most combative. The winner of the award wore a red number bib during the next stage, this feature was introduced for the first time in 1998. The decision was made by a jury composed of journalists who gave points. The cyclist with the most points from votes in all stages led the combativity classification. Jacky Durand won this classification, and was given overall the super-combativity award. The Souvenir Henri Desgrange was given in honour of Tour founder Henri Desgrange to the first rider to pass the summit of the Col du Galibier on stage 15. The winner of the prize was Marco Pantani.


1998 Tour de France, UCI Road Rankings
Riders in the Tour competed individually, as well as for their teams and nations, for points that contributed towards the UCI Road Rankings, which included all UCI races. Points were awarded to all riders in the general classification, to the top ten finishers in each stage, and each yellow jersey given at the end of a stage. The points accrued by Marco Pantani moved him from fifth position to fourth in the individual ranking, with Laurent Jalabert, who did not finish the Tour, holding his lead. Festina–Lotus retained their lead of the team ranking, ahead of second-placed Mapei–Bricobi. Italy remained as leaders of the nations ranking, with Switzerland second.


1998 Tour de France, Aftermath
If we hadn't had those scandals, the Festina affair and so on, we would have continued in the world of ignorance and supposition. This way, [doping] was smashed right into our face.


1998 Tour de France, Aftermath
–Tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc speaking about the fallout of the doping cases during the 1998 Tour


1998 Tour de France, Aftermath
In the direct aftermath of the Tour, there were many raids and searches of cycling teams and many riders questioned by police. Two meetings to discuss the issue of doping were held shortly after the Tour: the first, between the UCI, race organisers and teams, took place four days after the Tour ended in Paris; the second, on 11 August, was between the UCI and representatives of the riders. Neither meeting yielded results that had "any long-term effect".


1998 Tour de France, Aftermath
The riders voiced concern over the length of races and demanded changes to be made, while the question of a general amnesty for riders who took banned substances was also briefly discussed. In a press communiqué released on 13 August, the UCI claimed that "it is difficult to do more than is already being done" in response to doping and that the blood tests enforced in 1997 enabled the UCI "to control the EPO problem", a claim that Alasdair Fotheringham later described as bordering "on the delusional".


1998 Tour de France, Aftermath
Festina returned to racing shortly after the Tour de France, with the crowd showing positive responses to the team at the Vuelta a Burgos. The squad then competed in the last Grand Tour of the year, the Vuelta a España, where Alex Zülle failed to defend his title, but won a stage and finished eighth overall.


1998 Tour de France, Aftermath
Following the fallout from the 1998 edition, the 1999 Tour de France was dubbed by the organisers as the "Tour of Renewal", with the ASO publicly stating that they would welcome a lower average speed by around 3 km/h (1.9 mph). This did not come to pass however, as the average speed rose again and race winner Lance Armstrong was stripped of his title in 2012 following a lengthy investigation into doping practises. ASO barred the TVM team from competing in the 1999 race.


1998 Tour de France, Aftermath
Richard Virenque and Manolo Saiz were originally banned from the race, before the UCI required the race organisers to allow both to participate, considering that the ASO had failed to comply with the registration period. This dictates that both organisers and teams need to register the invitation and their willingness to participate thirty days before the start of the event. Festina was allowed to start the next Tour, but the ASO handed out a warning to the team before the race, reminding them of their ability to disqualify them as they had in 1998.


1998 Tour de France, Aftermath
The Tour de France scandal highlighted the need for an independent international agency that would set harmonized standards for anti-doping work and coordinate the efforts of sports organizations and public authorities.


1998 Tour de France, Aftermath
Official document of the World Anti- Doping Agency (WADA) on its own creation


1998 Tour de France, Aftermath
Fotheringham noted nearly twenty years after the 1998 Tour that ever since, extraordinary performances in cycling have been viewed with suspicion, because of the sport's now cemented association with doping. Until the revelations of the Lance Armstrong doping case, the 1998 Tour de France stood as the biggest doping scandal in sport. One of the most significant effects of the Festina affair was the creation of the World Anti- Doping Agency (WADA) in December 1999.


1998 Tour de France, In the media
In 2018, a film centering around the 1998 Tour, titled The Domestique and to be directed by Kieron J. Walsh and written by Ciarán Cassidy, was announced. Production was taken over by Blinder Films, with the movie receiving €800,000 funding through Screen Ireland, the Irish state development agency. The film has since been renamed The Racer and secured funding from Screen Flanders, the Film Fund Luxembourg, Eurimages, the BAI Sound & Vision Fund, and RTE. The film premiered at the 2020 South by Southwest film festival.


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11
The 1998 Tour de France was the 85th edition of Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Tour began in Dublin, Ireland with a prologue individual time trial on 11 July and Stage 11 occurred on 22 July with a mountainous stage to Plateau de Beille. The race finished on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 2 August.


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Prologue
11 July 1998 — Dublin, 5.6 km (3.5 mi) (ITT)


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Prologue
The 1998 race commenced in the Irish capital of Dublin. Prior to the prologue, the Tour was already in uproar, as Festina masseur Willy Voet was found at the Belgian border carrying in his car performance-enhancing drugs. The team nonetheless started the race, placing three riders in the top ten. The prologue was won by favorite Chris Boardman, 4 seconds in front of Abraham Olano. Previous year's winner Jan Ullrich came in sixth, just 5 seconds behind Boardman.


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 1
12 July 1998 — Dublin to Dublin, 180.5 km (112.2 mi)


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 1
The windy and rainy first stage included the Cat. 3 climb of Wicklow Gap after 111 km. Tom Steels took his first ever stage win.


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 2
13 July 1998 — Enniscorthy to Cork, 205.5 km (127.7 mi)


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 2
For stage 2, the Tour stayed in Ireland. Chris Boardman lost the jellow jersey after crashing some 50 km before the finish. He had to withdraw from the race. The race paid homage to Sean Kelly, passing his home village of Carrick-on-Suir. The stage was won in a mass sprint by Jan Svorada, with Erik Zabel taking yellow.


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 3
14 July 1998 — Roscoff to Lorient, 169 km (105.0 mi)


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 3
For Bastille Day, the Tour returned to its homeland. The race was dominated by a 9-man breakaway, including three Frenchmen. The hopes of the French fans were spoiled by Team Telekom's Jens Heppner, taking the stage in a sprint finish over Xavier Jan. Heppner's win saved Telekom's day, as Erik Zabel lost the maillot jaune to Bo Hamburger.


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 4
15 July 1998 — Plouay - Cholet, 252 km (156.6 mi)


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 4
The longest stage of the 1998 Tour led the riders over 252 km. Over the course there was a heavy "war for the bonuses" at the three intermediate sprints, with Stuart O'Grady coming out as the winner and taking the yellow jersey, the first Australian to do so for 16 years.


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 5
16 July 1998 — Cholet to Châteauroux, 228.5 km (142.0 mi)


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 5
Before stage 5, Festina's team manager Bruno Roussel was suspended and taken in for police questioning. The team nevertheless started the stage. The peloton rode through Brittany in heavy rain which prevented attacks from being successful.


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 6
17 July 1998 — La Châtre to Brive-la-Gaillarde, 204.5 km (127.1 mi)


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 6
Stage 6 was marked by many attacks, but none proved to be successful. In the end, Mario Cipollini took his second consecutive stage win.


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 7
18 July 1998 — Meyrignac-l'Église to Corrèze, 58 km (36.0 mi) (Individual time trial)


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 7
On the morning before stage 7, the first long time trial, turmoil hit the Tour. After its manager had confessed to doping practices in Team Festina, the team was pulled from the race. Initially, the team refused to accept and declared its intention to race, but later left the Tour in disgrace. Tour favorite and French hero Richard Virenque was seen on TV stating his innocence, shaken by tears. On the road, Jan Ullrich lived up to his reputation as an excellent time trialist and took the stage, an impressive 70 seconds in front of Tyler Hamilton. He also took the yellow jersey.


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 8
19 July 1998 — Brive-la-Gaillarde to Montauban, 190.5 km (118.4 mi)


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 8
Six climbs of lower categories were on this stage's profile, making it perfect for strong breakaway groups. The stage was won by breakaway king Jacky Durand, getting the best from a 6-rider sprint finish.


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 9
20 July 1998 — Montauban to Pau, 210 km (130.5 mi)


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 9
Leon Van Bon won his second Tour stage, beating Jens Voigt in a sprint finish, with the peloton rapidly approaching.


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 10
21 July 1998 — Pau to Luchon, 196.5 km (122.1 mi)


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 10
The Tour entered the mountains on stage 10. On the program were the two H.C. climbs of Col d'Aubisque and Col du Tourmalet and the 1st category climbs of Col d'Aspin and Col de Peyresourde. Jan Ullrich reclaimed the yellow jersey, but lost 23 seconds to Marco Pantani, who went after eventual stage winner Rodolfo Massi on the last climb and came in second.


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 11
22 July 1998 — Luchon to Plateau de Beille, 170 km (105.6 mi)


1998 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 11
This stage was extremely mountainous, with the finish on the summit of Plateau de Beille. In sunny weather, Marco Pantani attacked late on the last climb, taking the stage and 1' 39" from Jan Ullrich. Team Cofidis put in an impressive performance, with four riders reaching the top ten of the stage.


1998 Tour de France, Stage 12 to Stage 21
The 1998 Tour de France was the 85th edition of Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Tour began in Dublin, Ireland with a prologue individual time trial on 11 July and Stage 12 occurred on 24 July with a flat stage from Tarascon-sur-Ariège. The race finished on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 2 August.


1998 Tour de France, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 12
24 July 1998 — Tarascon-sur-Ariège to Le Cap d'Agde, 206 km (128.0 mi)


1998 Tour de France, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 12
After the rest day, the Tour came out of the Pyrenees. The Tour was in uproar. The riders staged a strike over the increased attention given to the drugs scandal. The riders initially refused to ride but then started under neutral conditions. Dutch radio said that the peloton initially rode very slowly indeed for 14 km behind Leblanc's lead car. The neutral conditions were being maintained. After 16 km of neutral riding and a delay of 2 hours, the Tour officially resumed at around 13.35 European time. Tom Steels took his second sprint victory in the 1998 Tour when he won the mass sprint into Le Cap d'Agde, narrowly beating François Simon and Stephane Barthe.


1998 Tour de France, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 13
25 July 1998 — Frontignan la Peyrade to Carpentras, 196 km (121.8 mi)


1998 Tour de France, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 14
26 July 1998 — Valréas to Grenoble, 186.5 km (115.9 mi)


1998 Tour de France, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 15
27 July 1998 — Grenoble to Les Deux Alpes, 189 km (117.4 mi)


1998 Tour de France, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 16
28 July 1998 — Vizille to Albertville, 204 km (126.8 mi)


1998 Tour de France, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 17
29 July 1998 — Albertville to Aix-les-Bains, 149 km (92.6 mi)


1998 Tour de France, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 17
The stage was neutralised due to a protest by the riders.


1998 Tour de France, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 18
30 July 1998 — Aix-les-Bains to Neuchâtel (Switzerland), 218.5 km (135.8 mi)


1998 Tour de France, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 19
31 July 1998 — La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland) to Autun, 242 km (150.4 mi)


1998 Tour de France, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 20
1 August 1998 — Montceau-les-Mines to Le Creusot, 52 km (32.3 mi) (individual time trial)


1998 Tour de France, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 21
2 August 1998 — Melun to Paris Champs-Élysées, 147.5 km (91.7 mi)


1998 Tour de Hongrie
The 1998 Tour de Hongrie was the 27th edition of the Tour de Hongrie cycle race and was held from 23 to 30 August 1998. The race started and finished in Budapest. The race was won by Aleksandr Rotar.


1998 Tour de Langkawi
The 1998 Tour de Langkawi was the third edition of the Tour de Langkawi, a cycling stage race that took place in Malaysia. It started on 18 February in Langkawi and ended on 1 March in Kuala Lumpur. The race was sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) as a 2.5 category race.


1998 Tour de Langkawi
Italian Gabriele Missaglia won the race, Giuliano Figueras second and Niklas Axelsson third. Fred Rodriguez also won the points classification and Douglas Ryder won the mountains classification of the race. Mapei–Bricobi won the team classification of the race.


1998 Tour de Langkawi, Stages
The cyclist competed in 12 stages over 12 days, covering a distance of 1,835.7 kilometres.


1998 Tour de Pologne
The 1998 Tour de Pologne was the 55th edition of the Tour de Pologne cycle race and was held from 6 September to 14 September 1998. The race started in Słupsk and finished in Wieliczka. The race was won by Sergei Ivanov.


1998 Tour de Romandie
The 1998 Tour de Romandie was the 52nd edition of the Tour de Romandie cycle race and was held from 5 May to 10 May 1998. The race started in Rheinfelden and finished in Geneva. The race was won by Laurent Dufaux of the Festina team.


1998 Tour de Suisse
The 1998 Tour de Suisse was the 62nd edition of the Tour de Suisse cycle race and was held from 16 June to 25 June 1998. The race started in Biel and finished in Zürich. The race was won by Stefano Garzelli of the Mercatone Uno team.


1998 Tour de Suisse, Teams
Seventeen teams of up to nine riders started the race:


1998 Tour de la Région Wallonne
The 1998 Tour de la Région Wallonne was the 25th edition of the Tour de Wallonie cycle race and was held on 1 August to 5 August 1998. The race started in Liège and finished in Houffalize. The race was won by Frank Vandenbroucke.


1998 Tour du Haut Var
The 1998 Tour du Haut Var was the 30th edition of the Tour du Haut Var cycle race and was held on 21 February 1998. The race started and finished in Draguignan. The race was won by Laurent Jalabert.


1998 Tour of Flanders
The 82nd running of the Tour of Flanders cycling race in Belgium was held on Sunday 5 April 1998. Belgian Johan Museeuw won his third victory in the monument classic. The race started in Bruges for the first time and finished in Meerbeke (Ninove).


1998 Tour of Flanders, Course
Johan Museeuw broke clear from a select group on Tenbosse, a climb in Brakel at 26 km from the finish. Peter Van Petegem, realizing the danger, counterattacked, but was caught again. Museeuw powered on over the Muur and Bosberg to the finish, while his Mapei team controlled the race with three riders in the pursuit group. His team mate Zanini won the sprint for second place before Andrei Tchmil. Museeuw became the fourth rider to win the Tour of Flanders three times, equalling the race record of Achiel Buysse, Fiorenzo Magni and Eric Leman.


1998 Tour of the Basque Country
The 1998 Tour of the Basque Country was the 38th edition of the Tour of the Basque Country cycle race and was held from 6 April to 10 April 1998. The race started in Hondarribia and finished in Hernani. The race was won by Íñigo Cuesta of the ONCE team.


1998 Tower Hamlets London Borough Council election
Elections to Tower Hamlets London Borough Council were held on 7 May 1998. The whole council was up for election and the Labour party kept overall control of the council.


1998 Townsville floods
The 1998 Townsville and Thuringowa city floods began on 10 January 1998, the cities of Townsville and Thuringowa were hit by one of the worst floods in the cities' history.


1998 Townsville floods, Floods
What was a remnant of Ex-Cyclone Sid in the Coral Sea near Cardwell had produced a band of strong gales that slowly moved south between Cardwell and Bowen with wind gusts of up to 90 km/h, as it moved south into the Ingham area, Ingham had received around 295mm between 9pm and 9am the morning of 9 January.