Rasmussen: My world was turned upside down

Danish cyclist Michael Rasmussen has spoken of the dark night he spent in a France, somewhere 30 minutes drive away from Pau, after being sacked by his Rabobank squad. Rabobank dumped its Tour de France leading rider after former professional Davide Cassani alleged that Rasmussen was in Italy at the time he claimed to be in Mexico (one of Rasmussen's reasons for not properly filing his documents to assist out-of-competition dope testers, which are central to the whole situation).

"My world was turned upside down," Rasmussen told Danish newspaper B.T.. "I didn't know what to do anymore, luckily I kept my thoughts with my son and wife and that there are other more important things for me."

"I was so tired of being accused [of not being in Mexico] time and again, I must admit," he continued. "Then my whole world was turned upside down. It seemed so unlikely to me and I wasn't sure what to do. That night was so long. But I knew that I would make it through the night, and that I would be back with my wife and family eventually."

Rasmussen is meeting with his legal council this week where he will discuss his options. The Danish rider revealed in an interview yesterday that he hopes to return to professional cycling with another as soon as possible.