He put the doping rate in his Dutch team at "100 per cent". "Not everyone took the same stuff, but everyone doped," said Rasmussen, who made an extensive doping confession this year and ended years of lying.
His sweeping accusation concerned the professionals Dennis Menchow, Michael Boogerd, Bram de Groot, Thomas Dekker, Juan Antonio Flecha, Pieter Weening, the three-time world champion Oscar Freire and Grischa Niermann from Hanover. Afterwards, however, Rasmussen relativised his accusations and told the Spanish news agency EFE that he had never personally seen his former team-mates Freire or Flecha doping.
Weening, who rides for GreenEdge, accused Rasmussen of being frustrated and telling the truth "because he lost a lawsuit against Rabobank". This was reported by the internet platform "cyclingnews", as was a reaction from Niermann, who allegedly only received vitamins from the Rabobank team doctor in 2007, "but no banned substances".
Niermann had admitted to doping in 2003. After a six-month ban, he was then allowed to continue his work as manager of the Rabobank junior team. Freire threatened Rasmussen with legal action.
In 2007, Rasmussen was removed from the current Tour in the yellow jersey by his team following public pressure. He had not disclosed his true whereabouts in training in advance, making it impossible for the inspectors to visit him for tests. Without Rasmussen, Alberto Contador had no trouble winning the Tour for the first time in 2007. Three years later, the Spaniard was also convicted of doping and subsequently banned.
In his confession, the Dane confessed to having doped regularly since 1998. The former climbing specialist did not want to comment on the suspected density of doping in other teams. He had recently made it public that he had harboured suicidal thoughts following his exclusion from the Tour.
