Quick Facts
Biography
Alex Zülle (born 5 July 1968) is a Swiss former professional road bicycle racer. During the 1990s he was one of the best cyclists in the world, winning back-to-back in the 1996 and 1997 Vuelta a España, taking second place in the 1995 and the 1999 Tour de France. He was world time-trial champion in Lugano in 1996.
Biography
Early career
Zülle was born and brought up in Wil in the canton of St. Gallen, son of a Swiss father, Walter Zülle and Wilhelmine, from Brabant, Netherlands. As a child he wanted to be a skier but at 18 he was injured in an accident. He began cycling in the Netherlands for rehabilitation before giving up because it was too windy.
His father, having bought cycling equipment, persuaded him to give cycling another go when they returned to Switzerland. After several years as a successful amateur, Zülle turned professional in 1991. He approached the former sporting director of the Swiss team, Helvetia, Paul Köchli, but Köchli signed Laurent Dufaux instead.
Zülle then approached Manolo Saiz, but was rebuffed because, among reasons, he did not contract riders who wore earrings. Eventually, Saiz softened and Zülle rode for ONCE as a stagaire or apprentice in the Volta a Catalunya. He attacked frequently and finished third. Saiz relented and Zülle signed his first professional contract in September 1991. He remained with ONCE until 1997. Most of its riders were Spanish. Zülle spoke only Swiss-German when he joined but at the end of the Vuelta a España he answered journalists in Spanish.
Festina affair
In 1998, Zülle joined Festina. The team was banned from the 1998 Tour de France amid doping allegations which later became known as the Festina affair. Five Festina riders including Zülle admitted taking EPO. Zülle said he took it to satisfy his sponsors. He also said he was deprived of his spectacles during the police interview. On 28 November 1998, Zülle's haematocrit was found to be 52.3%, 2.3% over the limit.
1999–2004
His career coincided with that of Miguel Indurain, five-time Tour de France winner. Zülle was second in the Tour in 1999. He also won the Vuelta a España and Tour de Suisse, and stages in the Giro d'Italia.
Zülle retired in 2004, and held a party for his fans in Wil in October that year.
Career achievements
Major results
- 1992
- 1st Overall, Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme
- 1st Overall, Vuelta a Asturias
- 1st Overall, Vuelta a Burgos
- 1st, Escalada a Montjuïc
- 1993
- Paris–Nice
- 1st Stage 1 and 8
- Vuelta a España
- 1st Stage 1, 6 and 21
- 2nd Overall
- Chur-Arosa
- Josef Voegeli Memorial
- 3rd Overall Tour of the Basque Country
- 1994
- 4th Overall, Vuelta a España
- 1995
- Tour de France
- 1st Stage 9
- 2nd Overall
- Tour of the Basque Country
- 1st Overall, Stage 3 and Stage 5(b)
- Vuelta a Valencia
- 1st Overall, Stage 2(b)
- Challenge Mallorca
- Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme
- 1st Stage 5(b)
- 2nd Overall
- Euskal Bizikleta
- 1st Stage 4(b)
- 2nd Overall
- Tour de Suisse
- 1st Stage 1, 6 and Points Classification
- 2nd Overall
- 3rd Overall, Paris–Nice
- 1st Stage 16, Vuelta a España
- 1996
- World Time-Trial Championship (1996)
- Vuelta a España
1st Overall and Stage 15
- Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme
- 1st Overall, Stage 3 and 5(b)
- Volta a Catalunya
- 1st Overall, Prologue, Stage 3 and 6
- GP Miguel Indurain
- Euskal Bizikleta
- 1st Stage 4(b)
- 2nd Overall
- 1st Prologue, Tour de France
- 1997
- Vuelta a España
- 1st Overall and Stage 21
- Tour of the Basque Country
- 1st Overall and Stage 5(b)
- 2nd Overall, Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme
- 2nd Milano–Torino
- 3rd La Flèche Wallonne
- 1998
- Tour de Romandie
- 1st Stage 4(b)
- 2nd Overall
- Giro d'Italia
- 1st Prologue, Stage 6 and 15
- 3rd Overall, Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme
- 3rd Overall, Tour of the Basque Country
- 1st Stage 21, Vuelta a España
- 1999
- À travers Lausanne
- 2nd Overall, Tour de France
- 1st Stage 13, Vuelta a España
- 2000
- Volta ao Algarve
- 1st Stage 1, Vuelta a España
- 2001
- 1st Stage a, Paris–Nice
- 2002
- Tour de Suisse
- 1st Overall and Stage 1
- Tour de Romandie
- 1st Stage 4, 5 and Points Classification
- 2nd Overall
Grand Tour results timeline
| 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tour de France | ||||||||||||
 General classification | DNF | 41st | 8th | 2nd | 26th | DNF | DNF | 2nd | DNF | - | - | - |
 Mountains classification | - | - | - | 3rd | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
 Points classification | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
 Youth classification | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Stages won | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Giro d'Italia | ||||||||||||
 General classification | - | - | - | - | - | - | 14th | DNF | - | - | - | - |
| Mountains classification | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
 Points classification | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Youth classification | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Stages won | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Vuelta a España | ||||||||||||
| General classification | DNF | 2nd | 4th | 20th | 1st | 1st | 8th | 37th | 49th | 109th | - | DNF |
 Mountains classification | - | 2nd | - | 3rd | - | 2nd | - | - | - | - | - | - |
 Points classification | - | 2nd | 3rd | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Combination classification | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Stages won | - | 3 | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - |