Tour de France leader Rasmussen removed from race.

Breaking banner on MSNBC.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19952446/

GOURETTE, France - Tour de France leader Michael Rasmussen of Denmark has been removed from the race, a devastating blow to cycling’s premier event which has been rocked by a series of doping scandals.

“Michael Rasmussen has been sent home for violating (the team’s) internal rules,” Rabobank team spokesman Jacob Bergsma told The Associated Press by phone Wednesday.

The expulsion, which Bergsma said was ordered by the Dutch team sponsor, was linked to “incorrect” information that Rasmussen gave to the team’s sports director over his whereabouts last month. Rasmussen missed random drug tests May 8 and June 28.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19952446/

Current Tour de France leader kicked out
Rasmussen removed for breaking team rules, comes amid doping scandals

GOURETTE, France - Tour de France leader Michael Rasmussen of Denmark has been removed from the race, a devastating blow to cycling’s premier event which has been rocked by a series of doping scandals.

“Michael Rasmussen has been sent home for violating (the team’s) internal rules,” Rabobank team spokesman Jacob Bergsma told The Associated Press by phone Wednesday.

The expulsion, which Bergsma said was ordered by the Dutch team sponsor, was linked to “incorrect” information that Rasmussen gave to the team’s sports director over his whereabouts last month. Rasmussen missed random drug tests May 8 and June 28.

The 33-year-old rider, who won Wednesday’s stage, had looked set to win the race, which ends Sunday in Paris.

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Unbelievable stuff going on.

Today there was a streaker too who made it onto the televised coverage.

It's wild.

Where 2 guys mooned the camera? Strange things going on during the Tour this year.

Doping allegations. Top contenders getting banned, winners testing positive for steroids. Now a yellow jersey getting kicked out of the race.

I'm watching today's stage replay on Versus right now --- no news yet on the Tour de France channel.

Although I still watch hockey for some reason. :)

I couldn't watch hockey if you paid me.

I only started watching when I moved to a hockey town.

I was a avid follower of the tour for years. Last years scandal with Floyd Landis was the last straw. I always suspected Indurain of cheating but thought he was an exception. Then Pantani ends up dead, probably EPO related. But even so, I really believed in Lance. Now I'm pretty sure Lance cheated, probably the entire time. They ALL cheat. The human body cannot race at that level without cheating. I'm not ready to accuse Lemond of cheating but he did ride the fastest TT in tour history.

I still love cycling but the tour and professional cycling can go to hell. They will be forced to clean it up, the sponsors will eventually see to that.

...I just can't see it surviving after having last year's winner disqualified after the race, and this year's leader kicked out a few stages before the end. What kind of credibility can it have anymore?

In fact, I almost wonder if the smart thing would be to suspend it for a year or so, then begin again with a fresh start after the sport has cleaned up its act.


It's hard not to be cynical at this point. How far back would you go with that? Hinault? Merckx? Anquteil? When would you guess that "better living through chemistry" became the unofficial motto for bike racing?

here's a good article. I'm still pulling for Lemond

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19462071/