Danish cyclist Michael Rasmussen cooperates with anti-doping authorities
The Danish professional cyclist Michael Rasmussen has confessed to Anti Doping Denmark and the NOC and Sports Confederation of Denmark (DIF) about his extensive use of doping for many years, and a case will now be opened against the rider by the Doping Commission, writes and the NOC and Sports Confederation of Denmark in a statement on the confederation’s website.
According to Michael Rasmussen, his use of doping took place continuously in the years between 1998 and 2010, and the prohibited substances used included, among others, EPO, cortisone, hormones, and blood transfusions. In 2008, Rasmussen was served with a two year suspension with effect from July 2007 for whereabout failures.
In the statement, DIF states “Following a dialogue with Anti Doping Denmark, Michael Rasmussen has decided to cooperate with the anti-doping authorities and tell everything about his experiences with doping. In this context, interrogations of Michael Rasmussen have been conducted last week in Amsterdam and this week in Copenhagen. Rasmussen has confessed to have used doping throughout most of his career, including in 2007 when he wore the yellow jersey in the Tour de France and when he was unavailable for out-of-competition testing in the crucial period prior to the race”.
Rasmussen went public with his story on a press conference earlier today, where he also announced that he was ending his active career with immediate effect and stepping down as captain of the cycling team Christina Watches-Onfone powered by DANA