Following his recent return from a two year suspension, VeloNation reported that Danish rider Michael Rasmussen has apparently found a team for 2010 and plans to ride a Grand Tour next season.
“I feel as confident as you can be that I will be riding a Grand Tour,” he told the Berlingske Tidende paper. “I am more than satisfied with the outlook for next year. The Giro looks mighty interesting, and the Vuelta also tends to be good for me.
“In February I expect to be riding the Ruta del Sol for my next employer. I won’t say what team it will be until it is permanently in place, but I expect that to happen by the UCI’s deadline of October 31.”
Rasmussen recently competed in the Vuelta a Chihuahua in Mexico for the Tecos Trek team, winning a stage, leading for three days and finishing sixth overall.
It was his biggest race since returning from his suspension, incurred when it was shown he had lied about his whereabouts prior to the 2007 Tour de France. He looked to be a likely winner of the race but was ejected by his team several days from the end.
Rasmussen’s missing two years of his career as a result, and also has incurred financial losses compared to before. “Although the wages are way below what I earned before my quarantine, it will not be like starting from scratch again,” he said.
He said after the Mexican race that he believes he would have finished in the top five of the Vuelta a España had he been able to take part.