Michael Rasmussen (Rabobank) (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
According to the Danish paper Berlingske Tidende, Michael Rasmussen sent a fax to the UCI on June 26 telling them that he would be in the Pyrenees June 27-29. The paper said it has a copy of the fax which explained that Rasmussen would try to ride the 13th and 14th stages of the Tour de France. Those stages travelled through the French part of the Pyrenees.
Rasmussen did not state clearly where he was going, only that he was going to take a look at the two stages. Afterward, he indicated he would be in Denmark to prepare for the national championships which took place July 1.
According to feltet.dk, it's not clear whether Gripper failed to receive the fax or was unaware that those two stages were in the Pyrenees.
Rasmussen never made it a secret that he was in the Pyrenees; he mentioned it on his website and also talked about it in interviews during the national championships.
Inconsistencies in Rasmussen's reported and actual whereabouts played a role in his firing from Team Rabobank during the Tour de France. The team fired Rasmussen, who lied to them as to his true location when he missed his out of competition tests in June. "Wrongly reporting whereabouts is a flagrant violation of UCI rules and is unacceptable," read the original statement by the Rabobank team.
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