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By Barry Boyce, CyclingRevealed Historian
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Olano Ends Spanish Vuelta Drought
The 53rd Vuelta a Espana was held from September 5 to September 27, 1998. The very mountainous race course consisted of 22 stages covering a total of 3,781 km.
Olano during the Time Trial
Spaniard Abraham Olano took the race leader's Maillot Amarillo after the 39.5 km Stage 9 Individual Time Trial with 41 seconds over Frenchman Laurent Jalabert. Olano's overall lead was under attack in the mountains. The time gap decreased on every stage. Teammate José María Jiménez played a major role and marked Olano's main rivals in the mountains. Jiménez did manage to win 4 stages in the process and took the Maillot Amarillo from Olano on the final mountain Stage 20 to Alto de Navacerrada. Olano trailed his teammate by 38 seconds with a 39 km ITT before the finish in Madrid.
On the following day's Individual Time Trial Olano took back the race lead with a 2’50” time gain on Jiménez. Abraham Olano.
After six years with no Spanish winner of the Vuelta ONCE’s Abraham Olano rode into Madrid to claim the victory. Fernando Escartín (Spa) finished second with José María Jiménez (Spa) third.
SPECIAL NOTE: The 1998 race marked the comeback of American Lance Armstrong after his battle with advanced testicular cancer. In 2012 Armstrong's fourth-place finish was stripped by USADA due to doping.
Stage and Distance |
Stage Winner |
Race Leader |
Stage 1 Cordoba-Cordoba, 161.7 km |
Markus Zberg (Sui) |
Markus Zberg (Sui) |
Stage 2 Cordoba-Cadiz, 234.6 km |
Jeroen Blijlevens (Ned) |
Markus Zberg (Sui) |
Stage 3 Cadiz-Estepona, 192.6 km |
Jaan Kirsipuu (Lat) |
Laurent Jalabert (Fra) |
Stage 4 Malaga-Granada, 173.5 km |
Fabrizio Guidi (Ita) |
Fabrizio Guidi (Ita) |
Stage 5 Olula del Rio-Murcia, 165.5 km |
Jeroen Blijlevens (Ned) |
Fabrizio Guidi (Ita) |
Stage 6 Murcia-Xorret de Cat, 201.5 km |
Jose-Maria Jimenez (Spa) |
Jose-Maria Jimenez (Spa) |
Stage 7 Alicante-Valencia, 185 km |
Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) |
Jose-Maria Jimenez (Spa) |
Stage 8 Palma de Mallorca Circuit, 181 km |
Fabrizio Guidi (Ita) |
Jose-Maria Jimenez (Spa) |
Stage 9 Alcudia-Alcudia, 39.5 km ITT |
Abraham Olano (Spa) |
Abraham Olano (Spa) |
Stage 10 Vic-Andorra Estacio de Pal, 199.3 km |
Jose-Maria Jimenez (Spa) |
Abraham Olano (Spa) |
Stage 11 Andorra-Cerler, 186 km |
Jose-Maria Jimenez (Spa) |
Abraham Olano (Spa) |
Stage 12 Benasque-Jaca, 187 km |
Gianni Bugno (Ita) |
Abraham Olano (Spa) |
Stage 13 Sabinanigo-Sabinanigo, 208.5 km |
Andrei Zintchenko (Rus) |
Abraham Olano (Spa) |
Stage 14 Biesca-Zaragoza, 145.5 km |
Marcel Wust (Ger) |
Abraham Olano (Spa) |
Stage 15 Zaragoza-Soria, 178.7 km |
Andrei Zintchenko (Rus) |
Abraham Olano (Spa) |
Stage 16 Soria-Laguna Negra de Nelia, 143.7 km |
Jose-Maria Jimenez (Spa) |
Abraham Olano (Spa) |
Stage 17 Burgos-Leon, 188.5 km |
Marcel Wust (Ger) |
Abraham Olano (Spa) |
Stage 18 Leon-Salamanca, 230 km |
Fabrizio Guidi (Ita) |
Abraham Olano (Spa) |
Stage 19 Avila-Segovia, 170.4 km |
Roberto Heras (Spa) |
Abraham Olano (Spa) |
Stage 20 Segovia-Alto de Navacerrada, 206 km |
Andrei Zintchenko (Rus) |
Jose-Maria Jimenez (Spa) |
Stage 21 Fuenlabrada-Fuenlabrada, 39 km ITT |
Alex Zulle (Sui) |
Abraham Olano (Spa) |
Stage 22 Madrid-Madrid, 163 km |
Markus Zberg (Sui) |
 Abraham Olano (Spa)
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BEST CLIMBER PRIZE |
 Jose-Maria Jimenez (Spa) |
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POINTS COMPETITION |
 Fabrizio Guidi (Ita) |
| VaE September 5 - September 27, 1998 |
| 3,781 km |
1. Abraham OLANO (Spa) 93h44'08" |
2. Fernando Escartin (Spa) +1'23" |
3. Jose-Maria Jimenez (Spa) +2'12" |
Starters: 198 |
Finishers: 108 |
Average Speed: 40.262 km/h |
VaE 1997
VaE 1999
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53rd Vuelta a Espana 1998
