Few cycling fans were prepared for the startling events of what became the most notorious and one of the most extensively covered bike tours ever, the 1998 Tour de France. Seven of the 21 teams that started the race were missing at the finish. The 1998 Tour de France is the full, unvarnished story of the most dramatic race in modern biking history -- from drug busts, rider strikes, and mass abandonments to amazing highs such as a seriously injured biker making an extraordinary comeback. Graham Watson"s photographs add visual intensity to the diary entries of Frankie Andreu, a U.S. team member, and thoughtful pieces from John Wilcockson, senior editor of VeloNews.