Michael Rasmussen, formerly of Rabobank (Image credit: AFP)
In addition to his nickname 'Chicken', Danish rider Michael Rasmussen will forever be known as the man who didn't win the 2007 Tour de France. Right or wrong, the Rabobank rider was ousted from his team under questionable circumstances and Rasmussen is now seeking answers, reports Cyclingnews' Greg Johnson.
The tale played out like something from the script of a Hollywood blockbuster. Last Wednesday night Michael Rasmussen was stashed away in a secret cottage before fleeing the country the following morning on a jet privately chartered by his Rabobank team. But Rasmussen's exit from the Tour de France was anything but glamorous, with the then maillot jaune dismayed at the sudden action taken by his team.
While exactly how Rasmussen was dismissed by his team, and swept out the back door while holding the Tour's prestigious yellow jersey, remained somewhat of a secret until now, the reason for the actions has been the focus of the world's sports media. Tucked away in his Italian residence since last Thursday, Rasmussen finally gave an extensive interview on the past week's events to Denmark's TV2.
"It's a surrealistic situation, don't you think?" Rasmussen said of the situation. "I just had the greatest day of my cycling career and won on top of the Col d'Aubisque in the yellow jersey, and in reality I won Tour de France that day. Only to be kicked out of the hotel hours later."
