The 2002 Tour de France started in Luxembourg on July 6, 2002, and ended in Paris on July 28. France was visited counter-clockwise, so the Pyrenees were there before the Alps. On average, the stages were shorter than in previous years, in an attempt to make illegal substances less necessary for the riders. Great favourite was American Lance Armstrong, at the time, winner in 1999, 2000 and 2001. The main opposition would probably come from the ONCE team with Joseba Beloki, Igor González de Galdeano and Marcos Serrano, and from the Kelme riders Óscar Sevilla and Santiago Botero. Other riders to keep in account for a high place in the final rankings were Tyler Hamilton, Levi Leipheimer, Christophe Moreau and Armstrong's team mate Roberto Heras. Important riders who were not present were Jan Ullrich and Gilberto Simoni. In August 2012, the United States Anti-Doping Agency recommended the disqualification of Lance Armstrong from all his results since 1998; in October 2012 the Union Cycliste Internationale has agreed to this action. Having been stripped of the win owing to his use of banned substances, Lance Armstrong's win, his fourth of 7 consecutive wins and the most in Tour history, no longer applies; therefore there was no official winner of the 2002 Tour De France. Wikipedia [ - ]

The 2002 Tour de France started in Luxembourg on July 6, 2002, and ended in Paris on July 28... [ + ]