Tour de France 2008 Results: Classifications, Jersey Winners and Doping Scandals

The 2008 Tour de France was the 95th edition of the prestigious cycling race, and it took place from July 5 to July 27, 2008. The race covered a total distance of approximately 3,559 kilometers (2,208 miles) and consisted of 21 stages, including a prologue and a time trial.

Carlos Sastre of Team CSC-Saxo Bank emerged as the overall winner of the 2008 Tour de France. Sastre secured his victory by excelling in the mountain stages, particularly in the final individual time trial in Annecy. He finished ahead of Cadel Evans and Bernhard Kohl, who took second and third place, respectively.

But Bernhard Kohl was disqualified from the Tour de France due to doping violations. After the race, it was revealed that Kohl had tested positive for the blood-boosting drug CERA (Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator), a form of erythropoietin (EPO). So Denis Menchov became the third place in the race.

The 2008 Tour de France was also notable for the absence of the seven-time Tour de France champion, Lance Armstrong, who had retired from professional cycling after the 2005 Tour. Armstrong, however, returned to competitive cycling in later years.

Yellow Jersey, Green Jersey, Polka Dot Jersey and White Jersey

In the 2008 Tour de France, the winners of the main jerseys were as follows:

1. Yellow Jersey (General Classification): Carlos Sastre (Spain) – Team CSC-Saxo Bank
2. Green Jersey (Points Classification): Óscar Freire (Spain) – Rabobank
3. Polka Dot Jersey (King of the Mountains): Carlos Sastre (Spain) – Team CSC-Saxo Bank
   • Bernhard Kohl was initially awarded the King of the Mountains classification, but his disqualification altered the standings.
4. White Jersey (Best Young Rider): Andy Schleck (Luxembourg) – Team CSC-Saxo Bank

Overall Ranking – Tour de France 2008:

Here is the overall ranking (General Classification) for the top 10 riders in the 2008 Tour de France:

1. Carlos Sastre (Spain) – Team CSC-Saxo Bank
2. Cadel Evans (Australia) – Silence–Lotto
3. Denis Menchov (Russia) – Rabobank
4. Christian Vande Velde (United States) – Team Garmin-Chipotle
5. Frank Schleck (Luxembourg) – Team CSC-Saxo Bank
6. Samuel Sánchez (Spain) – Euskaltel–Euskadi
7. Kim Kirchen (Luxembourg) – Team Columbia-HTC
8. Alejandro Valverde (Spain) – Caisse d’Epargne
9. Tadej Valjavec (Slovenia) – AG2R La Mondiale
10. Vladimir Efimkin (Russia) – AG2R La Mondiale

These rankings are based on the total accumulated time across all stages of the race, with Carlos Sastre securing the yellow jersey as the overall winner.

Stage Winners – Tour de France 2008:

Stage 1: Alejandro Valverde (Spain) – Caisse d’Epargne

Stage 2: Thor Hushovd (Norway) – Crédit Agricole

Stage 3: Samuel Dumoulin (France) – Cofidis

Stage 4 (Individual Time Trial): Kim Kirchen (Luxembourg) – Team Columbia-HTC

Stage 5: Mark Cavendish (United Kingdom) – Team Columbia-HTC

Stage 6: Alejandro Valverde (Spain) – Caisse d’Epargne

Stage 7: Luis León Sánchez (Spain) – Caisse d’Epargne

Stage 8: Mark Cavendish (United Kingdom) – Team Columbia-HTC

Stage 9: Vladimir Efimkin (Russia) – AG2R La Mondiale

Stage 10: Juan José Cobo (Spain) – Saunier Duval-Scott

Stage 11: Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Norway) – Team CSC-Saxo Bank

Stage 12: Mark Cavendish (United Kingdom) – Team Columbia-HTC

Stage 13: Mark Cavendish (United Kingdom) – Team Columbia-HTC

Stage 14: Óscar Freire (Spain) – Rabobank

Stage 15: Simon Gerrans (Australia) – Crédit Agricole

Stage 16: Cyril Dessel (France) – AG2R La Mondiale

Stage 17: Carlos Sastre (Spain) – Team CSC-Saxo Bank

Stage 18: Marcus Burghardt (Germany) – T-Mobile Team

Stage 19: Sylvain Chavanel (France) – Cofidis

Stage 20: (Individual Time Trial): Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland) – Team CSC-Saxo Ban; Stefan Schumacher (Germany – Gerolsteiner) was the original winner, but was later disqualified for doping.

Stage 21: Gert Steegmans (Belgium) – Quick-Step

Click here to remember who the winners of the Tour de France 2010 were.