The 1968 Giro d'Italia saw two important firsts: the first tests for drug use and the first prologue. A total of eight riders tested positive during the Giro. Belgian Eddy Merckx won his first Giro d'Italia after winning the twelfth stage's finish atop the Tre Cime di Lavaredo and also regaining the race lead. En route to the overall victory, Merckx won four stages. Merckx returned in 1969 and was leading the race after the sixteenth stage that ended in Savona. Merckx tested positive for a banned substance after the stage and was subsequently disqualified from the race; to this day Merckx still proclaims his innocence. Felice Gimondi took the lead after Merckx's dismissal and held it all the way to the race's conclusion.