By Katharina Schulz and Laura Weislo At a press conference today in Hellerup near the Danish capital...
Rasmussen admitted (Image credit: AFP)
By Katharina Schulz and Laura Weislo
At a press conference today in Hellerup near the Danish capital of Copenhagen, Michael Rasmussen for the first time spoke up about the events leading up to farewell from the Tour de France. He admitted that he has not been telling the public the truth about his whereabouts in the period in question.
"I would like to clearly state that I was not in Mexico in June. I have therefore misinformed both the UCI and the public. It is however important for me to stress that at no point did I lie to the Rabobank team," Rasmussen said. Rasmussen insisted that his employer Rabobank knew the truth. "I have never told lies to Rabobank. They knew all the time where I was and why."
Rasmussen has provided Rabobank's commission of investigation with all information about his whereabouts, and stated that he will give the exact same information to the UCI – together with documentation, which proves that he actually stayed in these places.
Rasmussen was in the yellow jersey when the Danish federation went public with news that he had missed doping controls and dropped him from the national team. Rasmussen had failed to report his whereabouts to the UCI in a timely fashion on several occasions, and had been warned about the issue.
Laura Weislo has been with Cyclingnews since 2006 after making a switch from a career in science. As Managing Editor, she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news. As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track, Laura has a passion for all three disciplines. When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads, paths and gravel tracks. Laura specialises in covering doping, anti-doping, UCI governance and performing data analysis.
