Michael Rasmussen

Michael Rasmussen ( born June 1, 1974 in Tølløse, now part of Holbæk, Denmark ) is a former Danish professional road bicycle racer.

Career

The first successes

Rasmussen started his footballing career on the mountain and in 1992 Danish Junior Champion 1996 Danish champion and 1999 world champion in the discipline of Cross Country. A short time later he moved to the road cycling and played his first season with the team Volksbank. In 2001 he drove the team CSC- Tiscali and moved in 2003 goes to the Rabobank team. In the years 2003 and 2004, he scored initial successes by winning a tough mountain stage in the Vuelta a España and by a stage victory and winning the mountains classification at the Dauphiné Libéré.

The breakthrough Michael Rasmussen in the Tour de France 2005, in which he presented his abilities as a climber and as a first time driver standings proof. With a convincing victory on the ninth stage of the Tour de France 2005 Rasmussen went ahead six minutes out on the favorite Lance Armstrong and moved in the overall standings to 38 seconds the American approach. During the time trial in the penultimate stage Rasmussen crashed twice, came nearly eight minutes after the stage winner Lance Armstrong to the finish and had to give up all hopes of a place in the top three overall. However, Rasmussen reached Paris than seventh in the overall standings and as a carrier of the dotted jerseys the winner of the mountains classification. His placement in the overall standings was in 2012, after the doping conviction of Jan Ullrich, subsequently improved to sixth place.

In the 2006 Tour de France Rasmussen collected on the first mountain stages points for the mountain classification and worked a lot for his captain Denis Menshov. Rasmussen's focus was not this time on the general classification, but on the dotted jersey. His big gap to the favorites took him to the favorable position to attack early on a stage. On the 16th stage, which began on the Col du Galibier directly after starting with the almost 40 kilometer climb, Rasmussen attacked after a few miles and attacked with Tadej Valjavec and Sandy Casar. On the second climb of the day Rasmussen deposed by his companions, was able to save a lead of 1:41 minutes to the finish and then celebrate his second stage victory in the Tour in 2005 and take over the polka-dot jersey.

Tour de France 2007 doping ban

In the 2007 Tour de France Rasmussen won the eighth stage, a mountain stage. After that, he was the lead in the overall standings and wore the yellow jersey. Until the 16th stage, which he also won, he also led the mountains classification.

During the 2007 Tour was announced that Rasmussen had been suspended by the Danish Cycling Federation for inserts of the national team at the Road Cycling World Championship in 2007 and the 2008 Olympic Games. He had several times conceal the Doping Control contrary to his duty as a professional cyclist 's training venues. He himself admitted at a press conference after the 12th stage to have therefore received two cautions of the World Federation UCI and the Danish Cycling Union DCU. After the anti-doping rules, a driver is to be ordered because of doping offenses to a two -year ban if he missed three doping controls within 18 months. However, Tour director Christian Prudhomme did not find sufficient grounds to justify the sanctions during the tour. On the evening of July 20, it was announced that Rasmussen in the last year and a half total even four warnings, had received two of the UCI and two from the Danish cycling federation.

In addition, on 20 July 2007 made ​​known to the American mountain bikers Whitney Richards, that he should carry Rasmussen for a box of cycling shoes to Italy in March 2002. However, he had found 14 infusion bag labeled " Biopure " in it and then the doctor Taro Smith consulted, who suspected that it was to Hemopure. As part of the announcement of the events Taro Smith confirmed this information. He had then emptied the infusion bag. Rasmussen was when he heard it, he got angry and since then I have not spoken to him. Rasmussen commented on the allegations so far only, that he which could, however, notably Richards know not confirm.

During the 16th stage of the 2007 Tour Rasmussen met with hostility from viewers and finally taken on 25 July 2007 by his team Rabobank, the overall leader of the Tour and removed with immediate effect from the team. This was justified by a Rabobank spokesman with the disregard of team rules. The team sponsor, the Dutch bank Rabobank, said in a press release that he was shocked and disappointed by the fact that Rasmussen had lied about his whereabouts. This was based on the testimony of the Italian Exprofis and TV journalist Davide Cassani, who told Italian television that he had Rasmussen in the spring of the year in Trentino see train, whereas the latter had given to the team to be at this time in Mexico.

In September 2007 it was announced that in several of his urine samples from the time of the Tour de France, the preparation Dynepo could be detected by the doping laboratory in Chatenay -Malabry, 2007. The World Anti -Doping Agency (WADA ) had a detection method for Dynepo not yet authorized. Therefore, the positive findings were not legally recoverable.

In July 2008, the Monegasque Cycling Federation imposed a two-year lock on Rasmussen, which took retroactive effect from 25 July 2007.

Rasmussen appealed against his dismissal by the Rabobank team and won a partial victory. A Court ruled that in the summer of 2008, the dismissal as lawful, but complained that this was done without notice. He was a compensation of 700,000 euros awarded significantly less than what he called for 5.5 million. In an appeal hearing in June 2013 it was decided that Rasmussen had received € 665,000 of the 700,000 € wrongly and must repay this. In September 2013 Rasmussen appealed against the judgment.

Comeback, doping confession and End of career

After his doping suspension Rasmussen returned in October 2009 for the little Mexican team Tecos de la Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in the cycling back. In his first race, the Vuelta a Chihuahua in Mexico, he won the prologue. Furthermore, Rasmussen said October 5, 2009, to wish to apply for Mexican citizenship and wanting to start for Mexico at the 2010 World Cup.

In the 2010 season started Rasmussen for the team Miche, but could not achieve a big success.

On 9 December 2010 Rasmussen was with Christina Hembo, watches dealer from London, at a press conference announced the formation of the new Continental team Christina Watches - Onfone. Rasmussen should act as a captain and the team built around him. At Christina Watches- Onfone Rasmussen scored victories in some smaller races, including Tour de Serbie or the Ringerike Grand Prix.

In June 2010, the Vienna public prosecutor's office announced that a criminal case would be discontinued against Rasmussen. While standing for the Prosecution no question that Rasmussen had together with Bernhard Kohl and cross-country skier Christian Hoffmann participates by Kohl's manager Stefan Matschiner in buying a blood centrifuge, however, were the three athletes after entry into force of the Austrian anti-doping law in August 2008, " no contribution actions " prove to blood doping.

On January 31, 2013 Rasmussen put an extensive doping confession in which he made it clear you have used from 1998 to 2010 almost uninterrupted banned performance- enhancing substances, and ended his career.

Private

Michael Rasmussen is married to a Mexican woman.

Achievements

• A stage Jadranska Magistrala

• A stage in the Vuelta a Burgos

• A stage in the Vuelta a España

• A stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré

• A stage and mountain Classification Tour de France

• A stage and mountain Classification Tour de France

• Two stages of the Tour de France

• Prologue Vuelta a Chihuahua

• A stage of the Tour de Serbie

• Ringerike Grand Prix
• Team time trial Tour of China I

Team

• 2001 Team Volksbank
• 2001-2002 CSC- Tiscali
• 2003-25. July 2007 Rabobank
• 2009 Tecos de la Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara ( from 29.08. )
• 2010 Miche
• 2011-2012 Christina Watches - Onfone