{"product_id":"the-end-of-the-road-the-festina-affair-and-the-tour-that-almost-wrecked-cycling","title":"The End of the Road: The Festina Affair and the Tour that Almost Wrecked Cycling","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Tour de France is always one of the most spectacular and dramatic events in sports. But the 1998 Tour provided drama like no other. As the opening stages in Ireland unfolded  the Festina teams soigneur  Willy Voet  was arrested at the French-Belgian border with a carload of drugs. Raid upon police raid followed  with arrest after arrest hammering the Tour. In protest  there were riders strikes and go-slows  with several squads withdrawing en masse and one expelled. By the time the Tour reached Paris  just 96 of the 189 starters remained  and of those 189 starters  more than a quarter were later reported to have doped. The 1998  Tour de Farces status as one of the most scandal-struck sporting events in history was confirmed.  Voets arrest was just the beginning of cyclings biggest mass doping controversy--what became known as the Festina affair. It all but destroyed professional cycling as the credibility of the entire sport was called into question  and the cycling family began to split apart even as  ironically  the 1998 Tour was also one of the best races in years.  The End of the Road is the first book in English to provide in-depth analysis and a colorful evocation of the tumultuous events of the 1998 Tour. Alasdair Fotheringham uncovers how the worlds biggest bike race sank into such scandal. He explores its long-term consequences and what  if any  lessons were learned.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44987030601781,"sku":"ByrdShop_1472913027","price":119.38,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781472913029.jpg?v=1770923328","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-end-of-the-road-the-festina-affair-and-the-tour-that-almost-wrecked-cycling","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}