Rabobank calls at least two witnesses in case over rider’s expulsion while leading 2007 Tour
The ongoing Michael Rasmussen case will go before the courts again on November 12th, when several witnesses will be called to give evidence.
Rasmussen is suing the team for 5.8 million euro in damages in relation to its decision to remove him days before the end of the 2007 Tour de France, a race he looked all but certain to win. He had lied about his whereabouts to anti-doping authorities before the race, saying he was in Mexico when he was training with the team in Italy.
The disclosure of the whereabouts issues by the Danish cycling federation led to intense scrutiny by the media during the race, particularly when he took over the race lead. The pressure eventually led to Rabobank sending him home, a decision he says led to the loss of a major career objective plus the financial rewards and contracts that would have brought.
He claims the Rabobank team was fully aware of his misdirection in relation to his whereabouts, and therefore it was wrong to take action against him.
A court already awarded him damages in 2008, but he is arguing that the sum of 715,000 euros was insufficient to compensate him for what he lost out on in the years since.
On June 19th it was reported that the court in Arnhem, the Netherlands, had failed to reach a decision and that Rabobank were preparing to call witnesses. According to Telesport, that hearing will take place in just over a month’s time on November 12th. It states that Rabobank has confirmed that at least two witnesses will be heard. The identities of those witnesses has not been disclosed.
Rasmussen served a two year suspension and struggled to find a team afterwards, amid disputed rumours of a backlist. He now competes with the Continental Christina Watches-Onfone team, and was third overall in the recent Tour of China I.