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About This Page: This is a discussion on Other Sports within the LetsGoKings.com forums, at Los Angeles Kings Hockey Fan Forum. Tour de France leader Michael Rasmussen was removed from the race by his team after winning Wednesday's stage, the biggest blow yet in cycling's doping-tainted premier event...
The 33-year-old rider,
Tour de France leader Michael Rasmussen was removed from the race by his team after winning Wednesday's stage, the biggest blow yet in cycling's doping-tainted premier event...
The 33-year-old rider, who won Wednesday's stage, had looked set to win the race, which ends Sunday in Paris. But Tour officials had questioned why he was allowed to take the start on July 7 in London, England.
The Tour won't stop booting people or faking drug tests until a Frog wins it.
I have my suspicions about this, but they won't be able to pull that off this year. Also, Rasmussen was pulled by his own team (Danish), after almost all of the riders refused to start the race yesterday in protest. I don't know if they were protesting Rasmussen's inclusion in the race, or if they were protesting doped riders in general.
This has been a very bad week for the sport, can the Tour survive?
I think the tour will be okay with regard to the scandals, but I don't know if it can survive the apathy of the country. The French riders are not performing at anywhere near the level of riders from other countries. T-mobile is going to make a decision on their sponsorship continuing past this year, some think they are not going to continue due to the sport being tainted by cheaters. A few on the T-Mobile team have been caught cheating.
The Tour won't stop booting people or faking drug tests until a Frog wins it.
Hmmm. Must be a sprinter; he's already wearing le maillot vert.
And when they finally do (after all the non-French teams are disqualified or disbanded due to eroding sponsor support - ie Festina, for example), the winner should be tested for 180 consecutive days...
__________________ You know you're a drunkard when... You get into a fistfight with a wino over how long a bottle of Thunderbird should be allowed to "breathe".
Discovery/USPS now has a chance to go 9 straight in the Tour!! Will Levi come up to take his turn on the podium?
Should be interesting - he'll have to ride well to make up the time on Contador (good climber, yes, but he wouldn't be at the top of the overall classification rankings if he couldn't hold his own on the flats).
We'll get to see how good Contador's time trialing chops are on Saturday...
__________________ You know you're a drunkard when... You get into a fistfight with a wino over how long a bottle of Thunderbird should be allowed to "breathe".
I know that no one gives a **** what I think, but as someone who has been following the three grand tours for as long as hockey (since 1981), I do see a very significant change this year. For many years now, the riders have protested the accusations, testing, and investigations, and have generally had a "circle the wagons" reaction. Now, they are directing their disgust at the tainted riders. For a few stages before Rasmussen was withdrawn, much of the field would gather at the front and then stop at the start in symbolic protest, forcing others to work their way around them to get going.
Personally, my key indicator of suspicion is the lack of being totally spent after a mountain stage. In the past, it was routine to see the first several riders after a mountain stage totally exhausted & unable to stand, needing oxygen, and on numerous occasions stage winners were taken to the hospital rather than the winner's ceremony. Over the past 10-15 years, that has disappeared, replaced with winners looking fresh. That is my personal indicator of suspicion. Even this year, compare a pure, young climber like Soler who attacked all the time, but also cracked just as much, with Rasmussen who never looked tired on ANY of the climbs. Something is definitely wrong there.
I think it's ridiculous, he is actually taken out by his team leader of Rabobank, this decision was made by 1 man no one else knew it, the sort of second leader of the team wanted to congratulate Rasmussen when he met him in the hotel but Mikael said "don't bother i'm gone anyway" that's when the rest of the team heard about it.
And all because someone said that he has seen Rasmussen in Italy while Rasmussen was supossed to be in Mexico. Cyclists actually have to say 3 months in advance where they will be for every hour of every day, and what they will be doing. It's very possible he just said that he would go to his family in Mexico (his wife is Mexican) but something got between it. that's very possible in 3 months so he stayed home in Italy where he lives.
But now his brother in law says he has proof that Mikael was in Mexico, so we'll see. if it's true Rabobank is gonna pay.
anyway, his teammates were furious because of this. they supported Mikael but they probably didn't want to get too angry at their bosses. one ryder actually hit someone in the audiance for boo-ing at them, about the Rasmussen issue.
I think it's ridiculous and I think they can't prove that he wasn't in Mexico. I also think Rabobank is gonna pay.
Gosh, I'm not even an cyclist fan. but it's a pretty big issue here since Rabobank is Dutch, and so am I.
EDIT: he has been tested for about 15 times and all tests were negative, he has been withdrawn only because 1 man decided he was lying.
Last edited by Jacob-KingsLubo; July 27th, 2007 at 07:36 AM.
He flippantly "was unavailable" for the last 2 tests prior to the start of the Tour; he shouldn't even have been allowed in the race to begin with.
Also. I read Rabobank directed the team leader to pull Rasmussen...
__________________ You know you're a drunkard when... You get into a fistfight with a wino over how long a bottle of Thunderbird should be allowed to "breathe".
He flippantly "was unavailable" for the last 2 tests prior to the start of the Tour; he shouldn't even have been allowed in the race to begin with.
Also. I read Rabobank directed the team leader to pull Rasmussen...
The weird thing is that it was all clear to everybody that he wasn't available, and he said he was sorry and he understood it was suspicious now that he was wearing the yellow jersey and everybody accpeted that and were all supportive towards him. than all the sudden someone THINKS he "has seen" him and he gets withdrawn.
I can't imagine Rabobank asking to pull him out, they would have said it probably. some rabobank people actually went to France to tell the journalists they would remain to be the sponsor of the team. I think it was a one man decision, no one else of the team at least, agreed with it...
Danish newspapers report that "he should have psychological help, otherwise it might go terribly wrong".
and a team mate of him said that he really felt bad for him, now that everything he worked for in his entire life was taken away from him, and that we would probably never work again. (this was the same team mate that hit someone in the audiance)
I certainly wish Mikael all the best.
The weird thing is that it was all clear to everybody that he wasn't available, and he said he was sorry and he understood it was suspicious now that he was wearing the yellow jersey and everybody accpeted that and were all supportive towards him. than all the sudden someone THINKS he "has seen" him and he gets withdrawn.
I can't imagine Rabobank asking to pull him out, they would have said it probably. some rabobank people actually went to France to tell the journalists they would remain to be the sponsor of the team. I think it was a one man decision, no one else of the team at least, agreed with it...
Danish newspapers report that "he should have psychological help, otherwise it might go terribly wrong".
and a team mate of him said that he really felt bad for him, now that everything he worked for in his entire life was taken away from him, and that we would probably never work again. (this was the same team mate that hit someone in the audiance)
I certainly wish Mikael all the best.
There had to be pressure from somewhere else for Rasmussen to be pulled at that moment. The Danish national team organization were upset that he was allowed to enter tour for violating their rules, and TDF officials didn't have any grounds at that time to not allow him in.
BTW, I think it was a French journalist that 'leaked' the information that he saw Rasmussen training in the Dolomites.
Anyway, it was nice to see the Discovery team ride their asses of today and secure the victory in team competition for this year.
There had to be pressure from somewhere else for Rasmussen to be pulled at that moment. The Danish national team organization were upset that he was allowed to enter tour for violating their rules, and TDF officials didn't have any grounds at that time to not allow him in.
BTW, I think it was a French journalist that 'leaked' the information that he saw Rasmussen training in the Dolomites.
Anyway, it was nice to see the Discovery team ride their asses of today and secure the victory in team competition for this year.
It's pretty suspicious that it was a French journalist, as it is suspicious that the tests are done by French people and French people only.
The team leaders of Rabobank reported that it's going very bad with Rasmussen, and they hope his wife and child can get him through all this.
Rasmussen taken out of Tour de France 
ChilledAgua
You know you're a drunkard when... 
