Pau - This year's Tour de France was dealt a potentially fatal blow on Wednesday when yellow jersey wearer Michael Rasmussen was sensationally kicked out of the race by his own Rabobank team, the Dutch outfit revealed on Wednesday.
The 33-year-old Dane had seemingly weathered the storm over missing four out of competition dope tests in the past 18 months and had won Wednesday's stage to all but seal overall victory.
However the team has learnt that Rasmussen lied to them over where and what he was up to during the month of June when he was in fact in Italy and not in Mexico as he had told them.
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"He broke team rules," said a team spokesperson.
"It is not even sure if the team will carry on in the race," he added.
Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme - who phoned International Cycling Union (UCI) president Pat McQuaid to berate him over not informing the organisers over Rasmussen's missed tests - said that there was not much more he and his co-directors of the race could have done.
"We did all we could do to get rid of him," Prudhomme said.
"I at the very least do not feel that I have been dishonoured.
"One cannot mock the Tour de France impunitively like those riders," he added, referring to Rasmussen, Cristiano Moreni - who also exited on Wednesday after failing a drugs test - and Alexandre Vinokourov who was thrown out on Tuesday.
Rasmussen had won two stages during the Tour, though, his presence at the race was questioned by several officials and from the race organisers as well.
His departure leaves young Spaniard Alberto Contador in the lead with Australian Cadel Evans in second.
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