Double Tour de France mountains jersey winner Michael Rasmussen has finally found a contract for 2010, but will have to do with a continental-level team. The 35 year old Dane has signed a twelve month deal with the small Italian Miche squad, and will debut in the Tour de San Luis on Monday.
“I had hoped that I would return at a much higher level than what is now the case,” he told Politiken. “but there is so much hypocrisy in cycling that it has not been possible. I have a very clear feeling that many sporting directors wanted me on their teams, but they have simply not dared to hire me because my relationship with the international cycling union, the UCI, has not yet been completely clarified, even if I have served my quarantine.”
Rasmussen was ejected from the 2007 Tour de France while holding the Maillot Jaune and looking like the likely winner of the race. He had lied about his whereabouts in the run-up to the event, claiming he was in Mexico while being in Italy, and this made it impossible for anti-doping agencies to test him.
He was served with a two year ban and returned to the sport last summer, finishing second in a criterium in Kjellerup in Denmark, then winning a stage plus the overall classification in the Vuelta a Puebla in Mexico. He was also first in the prologue of the Vuelta Chihuahua Internacional there, second on stage four and sixth overall.
Rasmussen had said that his goal for 2010 was to ride a Grand Tour, but signing for Miche rules that out. Only Pro Continental teams with UCI Wild Card labels can be considered for three-week races.
As former Danish pro and TV commentator Rolf Sorensen said recently to Sporten.dk, the rumours linking Rasmussen to the Humanplasma lab investigation in Vienna could have been a factor.
“I didn’t hear Michael’s name mentioned once in the international network about changes in the rider market,” he said. “Maybe it’s because of the case from Austria. There is still a buzz from the authorities and therefore this could be scaring interested teams away.”
Rasmussen regards racing for the team as the first step back, and clearly still wants to return to the ProTour level. He’s remaining upbeat. “I am excited to get started and I am pretty sure that I’ll be getting the program that gives me excellent opportunities.”