The Tour De France is over but the drug investigations which have overshadowed this year's race are set to continue for the next few weeks at least. Today the six riders from the Dutch TVM team, who quit the Tour last week, are expected in Reims for questioning over the discovery of erythropoietin (EPO) in their team lorry; their doctor and manager have already been charged over the affair.

The ramifications of the seizure of EPO and steroids in a Festina team car, which sparked off the series of revelations which have rocked this Tour, have already extended to four other teams - ONCE, Casino, BigMat and Francaise des Jeux - and will go further.

Riders from ONCE, whose team doctor has been charged over drugs, are expected for questioning by the investigating team in Lille, as are those from Casino. One of their number, the Italian Rodolfo Massi, was charged on Friday with trafficking, although he has claimed that the corticosteroids found in his hotel room by police were necessary to treat his asthma. The former world champion Luc Leblanc, who rode with Festina in 1994, is also likely to be questioned.

The revelations seem to have done nothing to dent the Tour's popularity with the French public. Indeed the opposite seems to be the case if the messages of support along the route in the last few days are anything to go by. The Parisian papers may have called for the race to be abandoned, but the average French citizen appears to feel that doping is a necessary component of the national summer.

Festina have announced that their team sponsorship will continue at least until the end of the season; after that the team's future is unclear. However, the long-term effect on the willingness of sponsors to enter the sport will be seen only when contracts expire and new backers need to be found; in some cases this is several years distant. What seems likely is that companies backing teams will introduce "cleanliness clauses".

The peloton was smaller than usual at the end of this year's race and it may be that way next year. Bearing this year's experiences in mind, the Tour organisers are set to vet teams for "morality" before permitting them entry to the race. Teams with riders who have tested positive will be barred, as will any who have been raided by police.

There are also fears that the Tour will see fewer entries from the Spanish, who quit en masse on Wednesday. The boycott was apparently organised by the manager of Laurent Jalabert's ONCE, who said: "I have stuck my finger up the Tour's arse." The race organisers are not reported to be impressed.

The response of the International Cycling Union, the governing body, is less clear. Several top cyclists have called for the resignation of its president, the Dutchman Hein Verbruggen, who has been conspicuous by his absence as the dope scandals have ground on. His return from holiday in India is eagerly awaited.

Winners

1 Marco Pantani (Italy)

2 Jan Ullrich (Germany)

3 Bobby Julich (US)

Green jersey: Erik Zabel (Ger)

Polka dot: Christophe Rinero (Fra)