Really pleased that it looks like Rasmussen is riding again, this time in the Vuelta. Fly chicken fly…

http://www.cphpost.dk/sport/120-sport/46405-the-chicken-rides-again.html

700,000 euro fine!

Should of been banned for life imo

It was nice of them to play the Danish national anthem as a tribute to him when contador was on the tdf podium 🙂

Well, that's a tricky point for discussion. Fact is, the norm is for a two year ban. There are examples of rehabilitated riders – well, David Millar anyway.

Can't see him getting into a team or any important races if he doesn't pay the fine though.

Even if you think a 2yr ban is "fair" recompense (I'd give him life), what self-respecting team would hire him?

Alexandre Vinokourov's ban is up around about now as well.
personally I wouldn't have either of them back in the pro peloton.

Should of been banned for life imo

He never proved positive for doping.

Others such as Contador were implicated in more dodgy goings on.

Shoefiti
Indeed, people seem to forget this. The true tdf winner in 2007. I thought the ban was at the rider's country's stipulation? Which is why is changes from rider to rider.

He also won a Million dollars for unfair dismisal from rabobank. I think his return will mix it up a bit in the mountains.

For Whatever reasons he was banned he still cheated whether it be for doping or not playing by the rules. Life ban for cheats simple.

🙁

as I understood it he was in a different country to the one he stipulated on whatever form he had to fill in a year in advance, and his team were fully aware where he was as they paid his travelling expenses – which I think is why he got the unfair dismissal money…

unfortunately the rules are the rules and after 2 years hes free to race as was millar, vino, that italian bloke who's name Ive forgotten and mr t hamilton (who really is a complete idiot…)

As the rules at the time stated a 2 year ban then fair enough he can come back.
To actually be happy about it seems a bit daft as he was caught red handed cheating the system. No proof he was using drugs but he was avoiding any potential testing so bang him up.
I think we are nearing the time when much longer bans are going to have to be introduced. They've all had their chance to get clean and sort it out so you either have to introduce 5 year plus bans or not bother at all.

Oh and

The true tdf winner in 2007

LMFAO

after it was discovered he did not accurately report his whereabouts during a three-week training period as required

This cracks me up, TdF has been tainted by the frequent reports of drug abuse, but CHRISTINE OHURUOGU can "forget" to turn up for three **** drugs tests and she was STILL given the opportunity to compete in Beijing. AND she's hailed a **** hero with her tainted medal….

For what I know Rasmussen missed the same number of tests as other riders. Just think he's an awesome climber. Love those big days on his own in the TDF. Makes great watching

LMFAO

and contador was clean that year huh? Chicken had it in the bag, he may of 'cheated' in your eyes, as he was chucked off, but none the less he'd of been in yellow on the last day. I think the playing fields were pretty level between the two that year.

I'm not the only one that thinks so,

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,23978612-5013406,00.html

and contador was clean that year huh?

I never said he was but as he hasn't been caught and hasn't broken the whereabouts rules to our knowledge therefore he is the winner. Whether I think he is clean or not is another matter.

I'm not the only one that thinks so,

As he's implicated in the Puerto affair you'll find plenty of people who don't think he's clean.

As we say in my profession "The only crime…is getting caught."

Frankly I find the whole situation profoundly upsetting and don't think it's as clear cut as some here would seem to believe.

I simply find myself in the position of desperately wanting, once again, to believe in all the things that attracted me to cycling in the first place.

When do they release the results of the drug tests from this years TDF ?

I don't believe that everyone went through it without there being one dafty on the drugs.

roadie_in_denial
you raise an interesting point here. What attracted me to cycling was great road cyclist such as Lemond, Roche, Kelly, Fingon, Hinault etc who were all supplementing their training with substances. Doesn't make them any less of a hero to me today. I don't see why we shouldn't judge great road cyclists today in the same light.

I'm not sure that I was attracted to cycling in general, or even to the road by any one individual…I think what appealed to me then, and what I'm in the process of re-discovering now, was the unfettered freedom of the bike, the escape, the bravery, the romance of the open road and trail, the allure of the distant horizon and the moments that took my breath away… I guess I'm a romantic.

But regarding cycling heroes, I think it's a very complex issue but ultimately, I think we as humans hate to discover that our heroes have feet of clay…and that we feel betrayed when we discover that they weren't what we thought them to be. After a break of a few years I came back to the road recently and felt strangely upset to discover a litany of names, names I had once hysterically yelled at my parent's TV in excitement, were now gone…casualties, perhaps, of Operatior Puerto and it's fall-out. A small part of my past, now tarnished.

I have to ponder, if perhaps cycling as a whole is somehow a victim of some sort of witch-hunt. I'm not aware of any other sport which has such a public doping problem, but with the ammount of money that we, particularly in the western world, pour into sport surely these problems can't be confined to cycling?

So…as for me, I don't blindly believe them all to be clean now (though I would dearly love to), but I do believe that Antoine Blondin really had something profound when he said the following:

"As sports fans we prefer to believe in Simon Pures, Angels on Wheels…however, there is, all the same, a certain nobility, in those who have gone down into God knows what hell, in search of the best of themselves."

…Hugely long self-indulgent post there…sorry!

I never said he was but as he hasn't been caught and hasn't broken the whereabouts rules to our knowledge therefore he is the winner. Whether I think he is clean or not is another matter.

Marion Jones said the same thing. Is she out of jail yet?