bicycle.net -- cycling news, product reviews, original essays, podcasts & video :: tour de france 2008

So where do we start. With a stage review, with the latest doping scandal, with “The Chicken” living up to his nickname?

As Velonews reported,
Wednesday’s stage start was delayed by a protest () from the Tour’s six French teams and two German outfits, who failed to show up at the designated 10:40 roll-out time. Amid a scrum of photographers and journalists, Tour director Christian Prudhomme left his lead car to speak with the riders. Then the wait began. For 10 minutes the peloton sat in the sun, with jersey holders Rasmussen, Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic) and Soler perched squarely at the front of the bunch. “We are standing here to say something,” said Crédit Agricole’s Thor Hushovd, referring to the ongoing doping scandals. “The riders want to talk to the whole peloton to say we can’t continue like this. We have to do something.” Finally a group of about 15 to 20 riders, including Rasmussen, Boonen and Soler, pedaled away to jeers and boos from the start-line crowd. But the protesting riders held their ground, creating a surreal scene where riders less supportive of the protest had to trickle one at a time past protesting riders because the start line was partially blocked. Eight minutes after the first riders peeled away, the protesters slowly mounted their bikes and rolled out, the crowd clapping and cheering in support. The last rider to leave was T-Mobile’s Marcus Burghardt, who stood at the line conducting a TV interview even as caravan officials drove past him. The official start came at 10:58 a.m.

Since the withdrawl of Michael Rasmussen I have decided not to make any comments on the stage. Other than to say that Discovery put on a good show which now will have Contador in the Yellow Jersey.

In a statement released late on Wednesday evening, team sponsor Rabobank explained its reasons for the removal of Tour de France leader Michael Rasmussen and his subsequent dismissal by team management. Following immense media scrutiny in recent days, the bank confirmed that Rasmussen had indeed lied to the UCI about his whereabouts in June, training in Italy rather than in Mexico as he originally stated.

According to hln.be, former professional Davide Cassani, now a commentator for Italian TV station RAI, made a statement to Danish TV on Wednesday in which he claimed to have seen the Rabobank leader training in the Italian Dolomites on June 13 and 14. Rasmussen had previously declared that he was in Mexico from June 4 - 26. “When Rasmussen was confronted with this information he confirmed to [team manager] Theo de Rooy he was at that moment in Italy,” said Rabobank press officer Jacob Bergsma. “That was the reason De Rooy decided to get him out of the Tour and the team.”

The bank said that its board members supported the decision to dismiss Rasmussen, but insisted it did not intend to withdraw sponsorship funds. The team itself is not leaving the Tour de France, with de Rooy allowing the riders to decide whether they wish to start Stage 17 on Thursday morning.

“What happened leaves me speechless. I am lost for words. A nightmare,” said Rabobank board member Piet van Schijndel.

Reacting to Rasmussen’s departure from the race, Tour director Christian Prudhomme said to AP: “We cannot say that Rasmussen cheated, but his flippancy and his lies on his whereabouts had become unbearable.”

UCI president Pat McQuaid questioned why Rabobank hadn’t removed Rasmussen before the Tour began. “My immediate reaction is, why didn’t they do this at the end of June, when they had the same information,” McQuaid told AP. “The team decided to pull him out - that’s their prerogative. I can only applaud that. It’s a zero-tolerance policy and it’s a lesson for the future.”

With Rasmussen out of the race, second placed Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel) moves into the yellow jersey. “It’s in no way a celebration on our end. It’s the third piece of bad news,” said Discovery Channel spokesman P.J. Rabice. “It reflects badly on our sport.”

LEVI LEIPHEIMER AND ALBERTO CONTADOR

Results

1 DQ”d 6.23.21 (34.20 km/h)
2 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 0.26
3 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 0.35
4 Cadel Evans (Aus) Predictor - Lotto 0.43
5 Mauricio Soler (Col) Barloworld 1.25
6 Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 1.52
7 Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir 1.54
8 Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa) Team CSC 2.12
9 Oscar Pereiro Sio (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne 2.27
10 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne
11 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 3.11
12 David Arroyo Duran (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne 3.37
13 Frank Schleck (Lux) Team CSC 4.42
14 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank 5.32
15 Kim Kirchen (Lux) T-Mobile Team 6.02
FULL RESULTS by Cycling News

Revised General Classification after Stage 16
1 Alberto Contador (Spa) Discovery Channel
2 Cadel Evans (Aus) Predictor-Lotto 1.53
3 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Discovery Channel 2.49
4 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC 6.02
5 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 6.29

FULL REPORT by Cycling News
Tour Leader Is Kicked Out of the Race by New York Times

Tour de France Leader Michael Rasmussen Pulled From Race by Versus
The final 1 km by Versus
Levi Leiphemeir Post Race Interview by Versus
Michael Rasmussen Post Race Interview by Versus
Johan Bruyneel Post Race Interview by Versus
Cadel Evans Interview by Versus
Ballan Crashes by Versus
Graham Watson’s Stage 16 Photo’s
The Fred Cast Podcast