Print

Mail

wiki links

Tour reels after days of scandal

Michael Rasmussen of Denmark, third from right, climbs the Larrau pass with the pack during the 16th stage of the Tour de France cycling race between Orthez and the Gourette-Aubisque pass in France on Wednesday. PHOTO: AP

The Tour de France resumed yesterday without its famed yellow jersey, which fell victim to the latest in a string of doping scandals that have thrown the world's greatest cycle race into disrepute.

The yellow jersey was temporarily retired for the 17th stage after the race leader, Denmark's Michael Rasmussen, was sensationally withdrawn by his own Rabobank team on Wednesday on suspicion of doping.

The Dutch outfit's manager Theo de Rooy said yesterday Rasmussen was not only out of the Tour but had also been sacked from the team.

"He lied to me, that is the chief reason [for sacking him]," de Rooy said.

Rasmussen, 33, who had worn the yellow jersey for over a week and had looked as if he had sealed overall victory when winning Wednesday's stage, had already had his presence in the race questioned after it was revealed he had missed four out of competition dope tests in the past 18 months.

And when Rabobank discovered on Wednesday that he had been in Italy last month, and not at home with his wife in Mexico, as he had claimed, they pulled him out.

Race organizers welcomed the action that was taken by the Rabobank team.

"Rasmussen's exit is the best thing that can happen to the Tour," race director Christian Prudhomme told reporters before the start of yesterday's stage.

"The race will start without him and the yellow jersey will be given out after the stage," he said.

The Danish rider, who insisted at a press conference earlier this week that he was clean, was left reeling by the decision.

"I'm disgusted, disgusted. My career is ruined. I don't know what to do, or where to go," the Dutch Het Algemeen Dagblad newspaper quoted him as saying.

But if Rasmussen's departure now saved greater embarrassment later, it still added another layer of scandal to a Tour already straining to stay on course.

"The death of the Tour" was the unequivocal judgement of the French daily Liberation.

Germany's top-selling daily Bild said the time had come "to stop this farce. Stop, nobody wants to see this fraud any more. Let's start again from zero to save the sport, to offer our children new role models."

Rasmussen's forced withdrawal followed the departure of the Astana and Cofidis teams.

On Wednesday France's No. 1 team Cofidis were forced to pull out after it was revealed that Italian Cristian Moreni had tested positive for testosterone.

A day earlier, the Astana team of pre-race favorite Alexandre Vinokourov was thrown out after Vinokourov tested positive for homologous blood doping following his victory on stage 13's time trial in Albi.
This story has been viewed 1000 times.