http://sport.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1158282007
Wed 25 Jul 2007
'Administration error' to blame for missed tests, claims Rasmussen
THE Tour de France paused for breath in Pau yesterday, but the second rest
day afforded no respite for race leader, Michael Rasmussen. The Dane who is
known as the 'Chicken' for his light build was grilled throughout an
hour-long press conference, which was dominated by the subject of doping -
not a single question concerned his battle with Alberto Contador for the
yellow jersey, which will be resumed in the Pyrenees today.
Rasmussen sat alongside his Rabobank team manager, Theo de Rooy, and the
team's lawyer, at the Palais Beaumont. All three repeated the same line -
that "administrative mistakes" caused Rasmussen to receive a written warning
for failing to submit his whereabouts information to the UCI last year; and
a 'recorded warning' on 29 June this year - on the eve of the Tour - for
missing a test as a result of not supplying his whereabouts information for
June. De Rooy said yesterday Rasmussen had been fined 10,000 euros by the
team for this transgression.
There have also been reports in the Danish media that he missed an
additional two Danish Anti-Doping authority tests. Rasmussen did not deny
this, although he said an alleged missed test on 6 May was an administrative
error on the part of the Danish authorities. Perhaps tellingly, his lawyer
said this "may have related to another [test], but not 6 May."
Rasmussen suggested that the authorities in his home country had no
jurisdiction to carry out such tests since he does not hold a Danish racing
licence. "It's questionable whether the Danish anti-doping authorities are
competent to do tests outside Denmark," he said.
Rasmussen has lived in Mexico for the past two years, before moving to
Monaco this year. His racing licence was issued by the cycling federations
of these countries, he said. But he confirmed yesterday he has never been
tested out of competition by any anti-doping authorities in Mexico or
Monaco. "I am only following the UCI guidelines - I have my racing licence
at my residence," he said.
Rasmussen began the press conference with a statement.
"First of all, I'm sorry for the necessity of this press conference, but
obviously there's a big demand for it," he said. "I have made an
administrative mistake. The UCI has given me a warning for that
administrative mistake. I accept that and take full responsibility for it.
I'm sorry for the mistake, I'm sorry it's harming the sport I love, and I'm
sorry it's harming the Tour de France. I want to make it clear I have had
out-of-competition tests, and I've had 14 anti-doping tests during this
Tour. All the results are negative. I support my team, Rabobank, and their
fight for clean sport."
De Rooy, who said that, after receiving the UCI's recorded warning, he
contacted the governing body, who assured him there was nothing to stop him
taking Rasmussen to the Tour. He referred to comments made yesterday by the
UCI president Pat McQuaid, who told the French press there was no reason for
Rasmussen not to be racing the Tour. This seemed to contradict remarks made
by McQuaid a day earlier, when he said a Rasmussen win would be unwelcome
and give the Tour an "image problem."
De Rooy was critical of the apparent breach of "strict confidentiality" that
led to Rasmussen's warning appearing in the media.
"For sure, there will be more riders in the peloton with recorded warnings,"
said de Rooy. "Theirs are not known, though. There should be confidentiality
for everybody; the rules have to be the same for everyone. We have an
experienced medical team at Rabobank.
There is no sign of possible doping use from Michael Rasmussen."
Rasmussen has also been repeatedly asked about an unrelated allegation,
that, five years ago, he tried to get a US mountain biker, Whitney Richards,
to transport a blood-doping product from the US to his then home in Italy.
Having so far stonewalled this question, yesterday the Tour leader said: "I
have no idea why [Richards] said it. Racing has an unfriendly side. I deny
it; the story is not true."
But Rasmussen did receive one piece of good news when the Danish Olympic
Association confirmed that the rider will not be banned for Beijing next
year.