Italian police raided hotels where this year's Giro d'Italia riders were staying in San Remo last night, in the biggest crackdown on doping in cycling since the notorious 1998 Tour de France.

Some 200 officers searched the rooms of riders from all 20 teams competing in the Giro after the 17th stage in the northern coastal resort of San Remo, according to a spokesman for one of the teams, Deutsche Telekom.

Eye witnesses said at least 10 plain-clothed officers entered the Hotel Des Anglais where the Telekom team and the Mercatone Uno team of former Tour de France winner Marco Pantani were staying.

The fourth floor of the building, where the Liquigas team was lodged, was sealed off and the team's riders were barred from going downstairs for dinner. Food was brought up to their rooms while the cyclists were questioned.

Police escorted Roberto Pregnaloto, Pantani's personal masseur, from the building and confiscated a bag from him containing a number of small vials and a rubber glove, eye witnesses said.

"They're reinvigorators," Pregnaloto said before a police officer, thought to be from the Florence drug squad, took the vials from him.

Pantani, who says he has been suffering from flu and had indicated he might not start Thursday's 18th stage, later emerged from the hotel, bought an ice-cream and walked along the sea-front eating it.

"I'll sign on tomorrow and then see how the other riders feel," he said when asked about the raids. "I don't know if the others will start the stage."