Rasmussen says he lied to cover tracks with wife
- By VeloNews.com
- Published Nov. 16, 2011
Michael Rasmussen admitted that he did indeed lie during the traumatic 2007 Tour de France, but says he did it to cover his tracks with his wife.
Rasmussen was kicked out of the 2007 Tour with just a few days left to Paris after it was revealed he misled anti-doping authorities about his whereabouts in the weeks ahead of the race.
While he told authorities he was in Mexico, in fact he was in Italy. Rather than tell the truth up front, Rasmussen said he lied about it to avoid a conflict with his wife.
“It’s that my wife would like to think I was in Mexico,” he told the Danish daily Ekstra Bladet. “I was in Italy, but I did not stay at home. It gave me some peace to find a way out.”
Rasmussen later served a two-year racing ban handed down by the Monaco cycling federation.
The ex-mountain bike world champion didn’t give away other details in the short interview posted on the newspaper’s website, but added that he managed to save his marriage.
“This is where the private must remain private,” he said. “The Tour scandal and everything that followed was a very, very tough ordeal on the marriage. It was an extreme situation at an extreme time. If it were not for my son (Milo), I doubt our marriage would have survived.”
Rasmussen continues to deny wrong-doing and currently races with Christina Watches Onfone.
FILED UNDER: News / Road / Tour de France TAGS: Michael Rasmussen