He went on to prevail in the individualtimetrial at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, before finishing second to American Tyler Hamilton in the same event in 2004.
The 31-year-old Canadian secured the Giro with a strong individualtimetrial on the final day, but along the way he got help from argyle colleagues in the mountains and in the team timetrial.
Then the International Olympic Committee stripped him of the bronze medal he won in the men's individualtimetrial at the 2000 Olympic Games and asked him to return the award, an IOC spokesman said Thursday.
With a single individual time-trial and fewer finishes at high altitude, the 2005 Tour could be a little less demanding than in recent years and give the likes of Jan Ullrich and Joseba Beloki more recovery time.