Following the success of the Olympics, as well as the success of LeMond who won the Tour de France on three occasions and Andy Hampsten who won the 1988 Giro d'Italia cycling gained popularity in the United States. As a result a new generation of American cyclists emerged, many of whom would compete at the highest level including Lance Armstrong, Bobby Julich, George Hincapie, Tyler Hamilton, Fred Rodriguez, Kevin Livingston and Floyd Landis. While there was exposure to doping in America, it was nowhere near as rampant as it was in Europe and American cyclists found some success including Armstrong at the 1993 World Championship. By the time many of the cyclists reached pro teams however, they found that they could not compete amongst the best in the sport as this was the beginning of the EPO era in cycling. This did not first come to light amongst fans and reporters until the 1998 Festina Affair, but even this major incident was not enough to change the practices of most pro level riders and teams.