Rasmussen out

[Tim Bennet.]

No one would risk ruining the earning powers of a sports star purely on hearsay or rumour, because he would be able to get redress with interest in a court of law. It's obvious there has been incredible efforts made since the start of the Tour by all the 'interested parties' to put together a watertight case against Rasmussen that will stand up to legal challenge. I guess last night the layers told Rabobank that they were happy that a case could now be made to stick.

Lot's of people wish this had been possible before then, but you can be certain that they now are pretty certain they have enough evidence that he transgressed at least his contractual obligations to his team and / or ASO.

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

Still find it all a bit strange though - yes, it looks decidedly dodgy (lying about your location) but he hasn't (AFAIK) actually tested positive for anything (yet?).

Surely it would have been more prudent to either exclude him from the race in the first place, or let him complete it (and most probably win it) and then sack him - don't really see what has been gained by them sacking him now and ruining a very tense Tour finish.

All quite bizarre!!

 

[Tim Bennet.]

don't really see what has been gained by them sacking him now and ruining a very tense Tour finish.

He was only riding in the first place because he had exploited a loop hole in the out of competition drug testing rules to avoid the spirit in which they were intended. It's now clear he missed 4 separate OC tests, but as these were administered by two separate authorities, which he claimed didn't constitute three misses.

Although this 'technicality' had to be accepted by the UCI, everyone (including his home cycling authority) believed this was an anomaly and he should have been subject to an automatic 2 year ban before the Tour even started.

However, they were powerless to stop him starting, much to the frustration of everyone. But steadily as more people began to realise the flagrant arrogance of his position, public hostility towards him began to increase. The crowds we getting increasingly hostile and the spectre of 100000 people booing him in Paris was a real possibility.

Luckily for cycling, there were other rules of behaviour to which he was bound, including contractual obligations to his team and the entry requirements of the TdF. The suspicion of lying was enough for his team to rule he was in violation of these, so he was fired and hence ineligible to continue in the Tour.

The irony of this situation is just great: A man who would have no truck with the 'spirit of the rules' or goodwill towards his profession, should be brought down by the specific detail of what he probably saw as an insignificant 'good will clause' in his contract.

 

[Tim Bennet.]

" Michael Rasmussen, the Danish rider sacked by Rabobank when leading last summer's Tour de France, has admitted lying about his training location."

Well, knock me down with a feather!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/7085287.stm

 

[Steve Austin]

interested to hear what Raobank say about Rasmussen saying they knew where he was at all times :|

Not really a good thing for a team to be complicit in lying to the regulatory bodies

 

[Haitch]

With Rabobank being one of the biggest banks in Europe, with a reputation for straight-talking and honest dealing, I'd like to think the Rabobank team would not be complicit in lying through their teeth at a press conference attended by the bank's lawyers. It's more likely that Rasmussen is trying to blur the truth.

 

[Steve Austin]

I hope you are right Alan.

Its not like they could admit to lying anyway, is it?!

 

[HLaB]

Sometimes I just hate legal speak

He reportedly tested non-negative for a banned substance in the tour but tests could not legally be termed positive.

IMO non-negative is positive

 

[fossyant]

Probably done the soap powder fudge - apparently even a few grains of soap powder can destroy EPO in samples, but you get a zero sample which is rather odd in humans.... the enzymes in the powder break it down, although the enzymes are detectable, they aren't banned.........

 

[yenrod]

Soap power into the bloodstream or the sample ?

 

[Steve Austin]

It would have to be biological powder

 

[yenrod]

Rasmussen must have used non-bio

 

[Steve Austin]

i can see the headline now.

"Michael DAZ-mussen in not whiter than white shocker"

 

[yenrod]

Especially with reference to the dull Rabobank kit !

 

[Haitch]

The Rabobank kit is not dull. It is eye-wateringly ugly! Orange with blue!