Marco Pantani (Mercatone Uno–Bianchi) had come back to the Giro the previous year from injury, only to retire after a crash which occurred when a cat ran into the peloton.

[4][5] The route for the 1998 Giro d'Italia was unveiled by race director Carmine Castellano on 22 November 1997 in Milan.

After a five-year absence, RAI broadcast the event,[3] replacing Reti Televisive Italiane (RTI) who had shown the race since 1993.

[9] The 1998 Giro d'Italia began with a prologue around the French city of Nice, which also served as the start for the race's first stage.

[9] The race started in the French city of Nice with a prologue time trial, which was won by Zülle, who established an early lead over his general classification rivals.

[4] On the next day, a long time trial in Trieste, Zülle caught Pantani on the road and finished 3:26 minutes faster, gaining a stronger grip on the race leader's jersey.

[5] Pantani however still remained convinced that he could win the race, considering that three stages in high mountains lay ahead, a terrain that favoured him.

Zülle cracked and lost four minutes, while Pantani, who gave the stage win to Guerini, took the leader's pink jersey.

Stage 19 to Montecampione saw Pantani and Tonkov engage in a fight for the victory on the final climb, while Zülle lost more than thirty minutes on both riders.

Originally considered the weaker time trialist, Pantani managed to pull out another five seconds on Tonkov and sealed his victory in the Giro d'Italia.

[4] Two months later, he also won the Tour de France, becoming only the seventh rider to win both races in the same year.