Cycling - Tour De France

1966: Doctors raid team hotels in Bordeaux to stage first ever doping control tests for the race. Riders go on strike.

1967: Britain's Tom Simpson dies on the Mount Ventoux climb. He is believed to have taken amphetamines. Riders convinced to accept drug tests.

1970: Anabolic steroids arrive. 1978: Belgium's Michel Pollentier, wearing the yellow jersey, caught tampering with his urine sample.

1988: Spain's yellow jersey-holder Pedro Delgado tests positive for probenicide. Cleared by international cycling union (UCI) as substance not then on their banned list.

1980/90: Blood doping and banned growth hormone EPO in use. UCI takes steps to protect riders by forcing those with high hematocrit levels (which can indicate use of EPO) out of competition for two weeks.

1997: Claudio Chiapucci forced to miss Giro d'Italia because of new rule. Raid on hotel of Italy's MG-Technogym team uncovers steroids and EPO.

July 9 1998: Festina team masseur Willy Voet arrested and subsequently charged with smuggling doping substances into France.

July 15 1998: Team chief Bruno Roussel, doctor Eric Rijckaert and a third, unidentified, Festina team held for questioning by police.