Alex Zülle became a professional cyclist in 1991. From 1991 to 1997 he rode for the Spanish ONCE team. The Swiss was a good climber and above all an exceptionally good time trialist. He became world champion in this discipline in 1996. Zülle was one of the best tour riders from the mid-1990s. This led to a second place in the Tour de France in 1995 and to overall victories in the Tour of Spain in 1996 and 1997.