Originally Posted by
lotek
"When Rasmussen was confronted with this information he confirmed to [team manager] Theo de Rooy he was at that moment in Italy," said Rabobank press officer Jacob Bergsma. "That was the reason De Rooy decided to get him out of the Tour and the team." - from
www.cyclingnews.com.
[SNIP]
he lied, he got caught, he confessed, he got fired. pretty clear cut to me (atmo).
Except Ras denies that version of the events:
Originally Posted by Agence France Presse
Filed: July 26, 2007
Michael Rasmussen has reacted angrily to being kicked out of the Tour de France and sacked by his team after allegedly lying about his whereabouts during a missed random dope test.
Rabobank dramatically split with Rasmussen after the Danish rider had consolidated his race lead with victory in Wednesday's 16th stage.
The Dutch team justified its action by saying Rasmussen had lied when he said he'd been in Mexico rather than Italy for one of the four dope tests he failed to show up for in the past 18 months.
But, in an interview with Danish newspaper B.T. Rasmussen questioned his team manager Theo de Rooy's decision to drop him.
"It's the work of a desperate man who is at the end of his nerves," Rasmussen told the paper's website. "My boss is mad. I wasn't in Italy, no way. That's the story of one man (former cyclist and now an Italian television presenter Davide Cassani) who thinks he saw me. But there's not the slightest proof."
Doesn't sound like a man who's confessed to me.
You're right though, US Law does not apply to the Tour - but as a viewer from the US the entire process still seems utterly distasteful. Pro cycling's current anti-doping campaign resembles a witch-hunt more than it does a fair process based on the principles of justice.