ABSTRACT
On the nature and values of the Tour de France, only 'death' is the proof that one has fought to one's maximum - fascination of going beyond one's capacity, to test one's strength. It seems that there was a shift away from stimulants as the drug of choice, towards erythropoietin, at least leading up to 1998. The dissonance of accusation, indignation and disappointment that followed the 1998 scandal struck at the heart of the idea that the cycling world constituted a coherent community built on shared ideals. The sense of honour demonstrated by some does make it possible to see that the cycling community may be viewed as more than just an alliance of self-interested entrepreneurs. Before the 2001 Tour de France, the general director convened the riders at a mandatory meeting in Dunkirk and required them to sign a ten-point 'Code of Ethics' pertaining to doping.
