Hacker cracks Rasmussen's inbox

Danish police in Copenhagen released a statement on Tuesday stating that a hacker had gained access to Michael Rasmussen's e-mail inbox. The hacker's intention was to gather information on the rider to hand it over to the press, according to the statement.

The Danish newspaper B.T. was contacted by the hacker, who admitted that he had gained access to sacked rider's email account. The hacker allegedly found an email from the Rabobank team informing the rider of his termination, Danish press agency Ritzau reported. There were also details surrounding the activities of the ex-mountain bike world champion during June, one month before the Tour.

The Danish paper emphasised that it hadn't intended to use the information. "We would never buy or use information that was obtained in an illegal manner," declared B.T.'s head of sport Peter Brüchmann.

The hacker has not contacted any other media outlets and his identity is not yet known by the police.