Pantani wins the Alpe D'Huez climb in 1997

Pantani wins the Alpe D'Huez climb in 1997.

The 1997 Tour de France, the eighty-fourth edition of the race, took place from 5 to 27 July 1997 on a route of a total of 3,944 km divided into twenty-one stages preceded by a prologue. It was won for the first and only time by the German long distance cyclist Jan Ullrich. Ullrich (on the second podium of his career at the Grande Boucle after the second place of the previous year) finished the transalpine stage race in 100h30'35". In the general classification in second place, with a delay from the winner of 9'09", he placed the French climber Richard Virenque (on the second and last podium of his career at the Champs Elysees, after the third position achieved the previous year). Another climber, the Italian Marco Pantani (on his second podium in the Tour after another third place achieved in the 1994 edition), finished third in the general classification with a delay of 14'03" from the winner. Pantani also won the white jersey of best young player.