Any idea where the chicken is going?

Doobz

Any ideas, rumours, expectations as to what team he is going to?

Michael Rasmussen expects to announce his new professional squad by week’s end, signaling his return to the professional peloton in Europe. The Danish rider hasn’t yet signed an agreement with his new squad but has told Danish media he expects everything to be in order by Saturday’s International Cycling Union (UCI) deadline.

Ash_

In the same interview that your quote's from, he also says he expects to be riding one of the Grand Tours, and then proceeeds to mention the Giro and Vuelta, so I'm guessing it'll be one of the little no-mark Italian / Spanish Pro Continental teams that only ever comes to anyone's attention during their national tour.

These things change their sponsorship so often though, that I couldn't make a decent guess at a real team. I'll say ISD, or whatever it'll be called next year.

Although, haven't Rock Racing been making noises (again) about being in the European peleton for some races next year? Not that that means they will be, of course.

frenchfighter

Giving he will be riding Ruta del Sol it is likely a Spanish team.

bikerZA

frenchfighter wrote:

Giving he will be riding Ruta del Sol it is likely a Spanish team.

Going to Caisse when they find out they have to sack Valverde over his doping case?

Just hypothesizing..

nick hanson

In the oven...for xmas

andyp

Cycling Weekly are reporting that he's signed for the Centri dalla Calzatura team for 2010;

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/lat ... -2010.html

Who? I follow procycling but I've never heard of them. Apparently the sponsor is a small chain of shoe shops. Given Rasmussen's penchant for storing things in shoe boxes it looks like a match made in heaven.

Echo et les Boniments

They're a small Italian continental team, they're hoping to get bigger next year and have a go at the continental pro thing, they're actually hoping for a Giro wild card. Actually Rasmussen had signed a pre-contract agreement with them last month:

http://www.ciclismoespresso.com/2009/09 ... atura.html

I think he wanted to be sure the team would be what the Centri bosses claimed it would be in 2010 and maybe I also think that until the last minute, he was waiting for something better to come along.

afx237vi

The man himself has denied it now:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/rasmuss ... determined

Doobz

anyone know any more about Rasmussen?

lucybears

Doobz wrote:

anyone know any more about Rasmussen?

http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/no ... p?id=21273

Doobz

Thanks Lucy

paulcuthbert

Doobz wrote:

anyone know any more about Rasmussen?

I saw him training in the Czech mountains last summer... Although he probably claimed he was in Mexico at the time!

mrushton

Does anybody really care if he rides professionally again?

Doobz

mrushton wrote:

Does anybody really care if he rides professionally again?

Of course - he is one of the best climbers arround.. err or was one of the best

Interesting http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/2768/ ... -team.aspx

The chances of former Tour de France race leader Michael Rasmussen coming back to pro cycling this year look increasingly unlikely, ex-professional Rolf Sorensen has stated.

“I fear that Michael Rasmussen will be hard-pressed to find a new team at the moment,” the Danish TV commentator told Sporten.dk. “Time is now really working against him. I had really hoped that he would have been ready with a new team by now.”

Rasmussen (35) is a double winner of the Tour de France’s mountains competition and looked likely to win the 2007 race before he was ejected from the event by his then-Rabobank team. He had lied about his whereabouts before the race, thus making it impossible for the UCI to do anti-doping tests.

He incurred a two year ban and returned to racing last autumn, finishing second in a criterium in Kjellerup in Denmark, then winning a stage plus the overall classification in the Vuelta a Puebla in Mexico. He was also first in the prologue of the Vuelta Chihuahua Internacional there, second on stage four and sixth overall.

Rasmussen was rumoured to be joining the Murcia AMPO team for 2010 but it collapsed due to financial difficulties. There has been no news since about a possible berth elsewhere.

His agent Mads Frederiksen hints that something could yet be possible. “There is nothing new in terms of Michael’s future,” he stated, before adding: “we are still in talks, but until there is something more concrete, we will not comment.”

Rasmussen and Alexandre Vinokourov are currently both appealing the UCI’s decision to fine them a year’s salary over their anti-doping sanctions. They can both race until the Court of Arbitration for Sport makes a ruling.

This may be complicating things, and so too the fact that he has been linked to an anti-doping investigation concerning the Humanplasma lab in Vienna. Sorensen certainly feels that the latter is a possible reason.

“I didn’t hear Michael’s name mentioned once in the international network about changes in the rider market,” he said. “Maybe it’s because of the case from Austria. There is still a buzz from the authorities and therefore this could be scaring interested teams away.”

iainf72

He's confirmed for Miche now.

First outing is at the Tour de San Luis starting next Monday.

Doobz

Hopefully the results will be out shortly from todays stage..

A very good read actually - he puts his point across really well.. I just wanna see him race again ffs

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/rasmussen-aims-for-top-ten-in-san-luis

afx237vi

"The professional teams are afraid of losing invitations to the Grand Tours, the UCI, the reactions from the press and God knows what else."

Wonder who's fault that is?

Kléber

I wish we could talk about promising young riders rather than losers like Rasmussen, he was busted at the highest level. Maybe everyone deserves a second chance but only after they admit to doing wrong.

A medal to the first person to discuss Romain Sicard, Dan Martin or Taylor Phinney?

jimmythecuckoo

how unpleasant... let's hope he vanishes again quickly.

TheHelpfulDevil

I know with may not be too popular but i am a fan of his. i hate doping but i just like watching him ride. he seemed very anal about everything and hated people around him - which begs to reason why i like him really. hope you does come back and gets to ride maybe the tour of spain. if in good form he could win it as there is short time trials and long stages of very harsh mountains.

shinyhelmut

"You cannot take the probable winner of the Tour de France out four days before the end of the race and just give him a slap on the wrist and let him race again two weeks after. When you make a decision that radical you have to have him disappear for life."

sadly they failed (although I thought disappearing was one of his strengths)

calvjones

He's got a point as regards Ricco, Basso et al though, hasn't he?

Stone Glider

He is a tremendous rider and I hope he does return in good form this season. It seems to me his "crime" is that he has shown no sign of contrition/apology as demanded by "the powers that be". Stubborness is usually considered a good point in a champion, his mistake is being unable/willing to play the PR game.

Doobz

yer - the guy has skills - he has been out of racing for two years and is on good form by the looks of things. He finished 9th today on stage 2 of Tour de San Luis and is 19 seconds off the GC

jerry3571

I think Stone Glider has got a good point. If he cried "a la Virenque style" then he would be welcomed back again. Like Virenque though, the man who returns would unlikely be the one who left. I can't think of a single rider who has had a two year ban and has performed to the same level as when they were caught.
It would have a good battle with Contador if he did but I wouldn't think that could be possible now. Shame.

-Jerry

frenchfighter

shinyhelmut

jerry3571 wrote:

I can't think of a single rider who has had a two year ban and has performed to the same level as when they were caught.

Don't you find this just a little bit reassuring?

FJS

jerry3571 wrote:

I can't think of a single rider who has had a two year ban and has performed to the same level as when they were caught.

Scarponi was back with a vengeance last year (1 year ban, but same principle). What that tells us about him though....

cal_stewart

the person who did the design of the miche teams kit and bikes needs hanging!

cal_stewart

the person who did the design of the miche teams kit and bikes needs hanging!

pedro118118

Personally, I have little time for him - although it was entertaining watching him fall off repeatedly whilst riding TTs.

More importantly (?!) - how come he's riding a personalized velo jaune.............seems the vanity/ego of the man (even having been identified/disgraced as a liar and/or cheat) knows no bounds!

I hope he languishes in the lower leagues or even better, sinks without trace.

We have a new Gollum to follow now in Robert Gessink anyway.