Danish rider Michael Rasmussen has been banned for two years by the Monaco Cycling Federation after he was expelled from last year’s Tour de France, the International Cycling Union (UCI) said on Tuesday.
“Yes, I can confirm it,” UCI president Pat McQuaid said when asked whether Italian media reports saying Rasmussen had been banned for two years were correct.
Rasmussen, 34, who lives in Italy, was sacked by his Rabobank team while leading the tour four days from the finish after it emerged he had lied about his whereabouts in training.
PHOTO: AFP
He has been facing a two-year ban since February when the International Cycling Union (UCI) called on the Monaco federation to discipline him.
The union said in February that after an extensive and careful investigation it believed the rider had acted in a premeditated manner and had prevented doping controls from being undertaken.
Rasmussen, who has denied doping, said last November he lied in the runup to the race because of personal problems.
The cyclist has demanded about 5.4 million euros (US$8.5 million) in compensation for his firing, and a verdict in the Dutch city of Utrecht was expected yesterday.
The team claimed he lied about his whereabouts before last year’s tour to avoid drug tests. Rasmussen says Rabobank knew exactly where he where was — in Italy and France. But that’s not what Rasmussen said for months, when he insisted he missed random pre-Tour doping tests because he was in Mexico to sort out family matters.
Last month, Rasmussen left his home in northern Italy to appear in a Danish court, where he testified against two Danish hackers who accessed his private e-mail and tried to sell its content to a Danish newspaper, which declined to buy the e-mails that reportedly showed Rasmussen was not in Mexico.
In a packed news conference broadcast live on Danish television, Rasmussen acknowledged he never was in Mexico and had lied to the International Cycling Union.
Rasmussen denied doping and lying to Rabobank, saying the team fired him although they knew his whereabouts. He said he had contact with several team members while in Italy, and the Dutch team also paid for an airline ticket to southwestern France.
After his Tour exit, Rasmussen was banned from Denmark’s national cycling team. He has refused most interview requests, but told Dutch daily De Telegraaf last December that he had considered suicide after being tossed from the Tour.
The cycling federation in Monaco is set to open disciplinary proceedings against him for violating anti-doping rules. No date has been set for that hearing.
The pressure was already on Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso before their 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League raised further questions about his future. Arsenal remain perfect in this season’s competition and three points clear at the top of the standings after a 3-0 win against Club Brugge, while defending champions Paris Saint-Germain were held 0-0 at Athletic Bilbao. The clash between Madrid and City was the standout game of the round amid reports this week that Alonso had lost control of the locker room. Speculation over his position is likely to intensify after the latest
‘HIGH STANDARD’: The Thunder are on track for a Finals-Cup double after they scored 22 three-pointers in equaling the best 25-game start to a season in NBA history The Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday bagged a 16th straight victory, thrashing the Phoenix Suns 138-89 to romp into an NBA Cup semi-final clash with the San Antonio Spurs, who stunned the Los Angeles Lakers 132-119. NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points to lead the reigning NBA champions Thunder, who improved to 24-1 to equal the best 25-game start to a season in league history. They dominated from start to finish to book their place in the final four of the in-season tournament in Las Vegas, where they are tomorrow to take on the Spurs. The New York Knicks and
TOP OF THE TABLE: Evann Guessand put the visitors ahead early in the game and Flavius Daniliuc equalized before Youri Tielemans got the winner in the second half Aston Villa on Thursday extended their winning streak to eight games in all competitions with a 2-1 victory against Basel in the UEFA Europa League to secure at least a playoff spot. Villa were tied with Olympique Lyonnais, who beat Go Ahead Eagles 2-1, and Midtjylland, 1-0 winners over Genk, atop the standings of the second-tier European competition on 15 points with five wins from six games. They have bounced back from a poor start to the season and are third in the Premier League, including a 2-1 victory over leaders Arsenal on Saturday. At St Jakob-Park in Basel, summer signing Evann Guessand
Italian Luca de Aliprandini described Saturday’s World Cup giant slalom at Val d’Isere as the hardest race of his life, coming two days after his Swiss partner Michelle Gisin suffered a heavy fall in training which required neck surgery. De Aliprandini finished 26th in the men’s event won by Loic Meillard, but the result paled into insignificance with two-time Olympic ski champion Gisin in hospital with injuries to her wrist, knee and cervical spine (neck). “It was Michelle’s wish that I race here. I couldn’t say no to her, but it was the toughest race of my entire life,” an emotional De
RSS