Chicken rejected by Riis

[Bike Boy]

Apparantly this hasn't breaked internationally yet.
I will try to provide google translate as fast as possible.

Rasmussen's immidiately comment: "I feel like I have been run down by a TGV"

however Rasmussen's sponsor (Christina Hembo) claims that the negotiations hasn't ended yet.

 

[Bike Boy]

feltet.dk

several articles on this matter. I hope it's readable, anyway I'm sure cyclingnews will translate it very soon.

 

[Bike Boy]

I'm having some problems with google translate, hope this works better:

sporten.dk

 

[Bike Boy]

fortunately sporten.dk translates with out any problems, so here's another one:

sporten.dk

 

[jens_attacks]

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/6...-to-be-given-a-contact-by-Team-Saxo-Bank.aspx

that's sad.

 

[Bike Boy]

velonation.com

finally english!

Oh you beat me to it

 

[biopass]

Sad for Rasmussen.

Not so sad for Riis.

 

[Bike Boy]

sporten.dk

Time for plan B.

 

[Bike Boy]

Sad for Rasmussen.

Not so sad for Riis.

Indeed. that said Riis could use one more mountain goat.

 

[Francois the Postman]

I suspect that Rasmusseen was the sort of option that could only blow up in Riis face at some point, so on balance Riis is probably better off with than without the man. All the more since rejecting climbers from his team is not something he can easily afford.

I don't really care much for Rasmussen the person, but he is exactly the selfish loose cannon that usually brings welcome animation to the sort of high profile races in which risk-averse racing has become the norm.

I still hope to see Rasmussen injected into high profile proceedings one way or the other, but I can understand why the teams that would guarantee that are reluctant to embrace him.

 

[Zerak-Tul]

Lol, he and his sponsor are founding a new team with him as sponsor!

http://sporten.tv2.dk/cykling/article.php/id-35245637:kyllingen-får-sit-eget-nye-hold.html?forside

 

[IlCobraFan]

Di Luca gets several offers from ProTeams just after his 2nd doping ban.

Rasmussen on the other hand, is rejected by all Pro Continental and ProTeams 3 years after his "lie" in 2007

Cycling a fair sport?

 

[Zerak-Tul]

Di Luca gets several offers from ProTeams just after his 2nd doping ban.

Rasmussen on the other hand, is rejected by all Pro Continental and ProTeams 3 years after his "lie" in 2007

Cycling a fair sport?

No, Rasmussen's problem is that he wasn't actually sanctioned for his doping (I doubt a lot of people believe he was clean, at this point). He was only sanctioned for whereabouts violations. I.e. any team that picks him up run a very real chance of some new evidence/witness showing up and resulting in him getting the ban for doping that he avoided in the first case.

 

[L'arriviste]

Di Luca gets several offers from ProTeams just after his 2nd doping ban.

Rasmussen on the other hand, is not able to find a Pro Continental or a ProTeam 3 years after his "lie" in 2007

Cycling a fair sport?

No it's not, you're right, but we could find better illustrations than this.

It's a contractual thing, isn't it? It's just business between parties. And the rest of global business isn't fair either.

Moreover Di Luca, we are told, 'fessed up about his own practices and maybe one or two institutionalised ones. Rasmussen however has been plain dishonest. So a basic reading of that situation - disregarding doping controls and due process which were done in both cases - is that Di Luca is the more honest of the two.

Not keen on either of them, but this might have more to do with local connections and the fact that Rasmussen tends to annoy everyone he deals with (yes, I'm generalising).

 

[Bike Boy]

No, Rasmussen's problem is that he wasn't actually sanctioned for his doping (I doubt a lot of people believe he was clean, at this point). He was only sanctioned for whereabouts violations. I.e. any team that picks him up run a very real chance of some new evidence/witness showing up and resulting in him getting the ban for doping that he avoided in the first case.

I hate to correct you but it actually was a doping ban. 2 year ban was only possible because UCI somehow convinced the governing body in Monaco, that whereabouts violations could be interpreted as a doping violation.

 

[IlCobraFan]

I hate to correct you but it actually was a doping ban. 2 year ban was only possible because UCI somehow convinced the governing body in Monaco, that whereabouts violations could be interpreted as a doping violation.

Indeed. The problem is that Rasmussen didn't have 3 official whereabout warnings. He had 2 like the World Champion Thor Hushovd and many other riders.
He was not breaking any of the rules. UCI Politics put an end to Rasmussen's career.

 

[roadbiker]

Di Luca is from Italy and so he will always find an Italian team, cause the Italian cycling scene does not outlaw former dopers (repeated).
That hardly wouldn't be possible in any other country (maybe Spain too).

 

[Francois the Postman]

Di Luca gets several offers from ProTeams just after his 2nd doping ban.

Rasmussen on the other hand, is rejected by all Pro Continental and ProTeams 3 years after his "lie" in 2007

Cycling a fair sport?

The next question that you should ask after making this "fairness" observation, is if there are other reasons that might make Di Luca the more employable character, besides the one you mention.

Maybe the reason why Rasmussen is finding it so hard to find a top-tier employer has less to do with the transgression, maybe even his nationality (another factor at play), but more with the actual person you get on your team.

I'm convinced that Di Luca's Danish clone would have had a harder time to find a new home than the Italian version. so I'm not arguing that it is fair out there. But to say that Rasmussen can't find a home just as easily is only about "fairness" is ignoring the large amount of additional red flags that the Chicken has been waving himself in the public eye, enthusiastically and unprompted. Character insights. Something that any prospective employer would be foolish to ignore.

 

[hfer07]

Indeed. The problem is that Rasmussen didn't have 3 official whereabout warnings. He had 2 like the World Champion Thor Hushovd and many other riders.
He was not breaking any of the rules. UCI Politics put an end to Rasmussen's career.

Agreed 100% and a shameful chapter in cycling. The Chicken deserved better than being discriminated in that horrible manner.
on topic: I knew Riis couldn't simply take him while having the Contador affair unsolved--it's just too much liability/risk to take on him, -and specialty when the team sponsors gave Bjarne an extension

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

I hate to correct you but it actually was a doping ban. 2 year ban was only possible because UCI somehow convinced the governing body in Monaco, that whereabouts violations could be interpreted as a doping violation.

It is very clearly stated in the UCI's rules that whereabouts violations are considered to be doping violations.

Susan

 

[JA.Tri]

less guilty?? of whereabouts infractions

Sorry drifting off topic a bit...

Originally Posted by IlCobraFan View Post
"Indeed. The problem is that Rasmussen didn't have 3 official whereabout warnings. He had 2 like the World Champion Thor Hushovd and many other riders.
He was not breaking any of the rules. UCI Politics put an end to Rasmussen's career."

Please correct if I am incorrect/misleading . I understood that MR had been "caught in a lie" as part of the "whereabouts" warnings whereas this did not identifiably apply to the other riders on two warnings (???).

Therefore the non MR transgressions were "less" egregious (???).

 

[roundabout]

Riis should have said no to Rasmussen a long a time ago instead of stringing him along almost into Decemeber.

 

[tubularglue]

I am thinking that the Chicken' should stay in Italy, race and enjoy the rest of his career.


he is going to fall out of that tree, if he decides to climb to the top again. i believe

 

[Bike Boy]

It is very clearly stated in the UCI's rules that whereabouts violations are considered to be doping violations.

Susan

I know, I just didn't want to drag in too many details, also beacuse it's a long time ago I studied this case.

But back in 2007 the UCI rules were very unclear in generel, and it opened up for a lot of different interpretations.
Should warnings from different agencies be added? It wasn't until after this case that UCI stated explicitely that warnings should be added.

I'm very torn on this matter (being danish and all), but I guess you could say that Rasmussen brought this on him self. He lied, and clearly he speculated in how to avoid being tested, which I have to concede, is not okay.

But that case is old by now, so I won't waste another word on it.

Back on topic: I think it's very true what has been stated earlier in this thread. Having Contador and Rasmussen on the same team would be too controversial. I just hope he can find another team for at least one of the GT

 

[Wallace]

I still hope to see Rasmussen injected into high profile proceedings one way or the other, but I can understand why the teams that would guarantee that are reluctant to embrace him.

Absolutely. Rasmussen is a real dyna-professional and would bring a much needed transfusion of new blood and energy to the grand tours. He spins up the mountains like a centrifuge, so fast you can't keep track of his whereabouts...