Rasmussen: culmination of a dream

Michael Rasmussen's big dream came through on Stage 9 of the Tour, as he crossed the finish line alone as stage winner wearing the polka-dot jersey after a 168 km breakaway. In that way he marked the 100th anniversary of the implementation of mountain climbs in the Tour de France. Today's last climb was in fact Ballon d'Alsace, the first mountain that was included in the Tour in 1905.

For Michael Rasmussen himself it was the culmination of a life long dream, not to mention a culmination of a year totally dedicated to peaking at the Tour. "It is totally beyond description," he wrote in his diary on www.feltet.dk/michaelrasmussen. "I've been riding a bike for 23 years, and since I was six years old I have dreamed about winning a stage in the Tour. And when it happens wearing the polka-dot jersey is absolutely fantastic."

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