Michael Rasmussen, the leader of the Tour de France, was withdrawn from the race and dismissed by his sponsor, Rabobank, late last night after the doubts over his ethical credibility reached a head with accusations of lying to his team.

The latest events, only 24 hours after Alexandre Vinokourov, the pre-Tour favourite, withdrew from the race after testing positive for a blood transfusion, confirmed the darkest period in the event’s 104-year history.

“Rasmussen has violated the rules of the team,” a Rabobank team spokesman said. “It is not sure if the team will continue in the race.”

Beat van Scheijndel, director of sponsoring at Rabobank, said: “We are in shock at the behaviour of Michael Rasmussen and we will now make a serious assessment of the continued sponsorship of the team.”

Corrupt race populated by a cast of frauds heading for the gutter

The abject failure of a divided sport to clean up its act has led to renewed calls that the Tour be stopped

BACKGROUND

• Tour stage starts without yellow jersey

• France mourns 'death of the Tour'

• Rasmussen sacked by Rabobank

• New doping scandal hits the Tour

• Tour in disarray after Vinokourov tests positive

BACKGROUND

• Rasmussen extends Tour advantage

• Vinokourov bounces back for second stage

• Contador a contender after Pyrenees triumph

• Vinokourov makes it lucky 13

• Rasmussen keeps yellow jersey as Boonen wins

Related Links

• Tour in disarray after Vinokourov tests positive

• Results: Sixteenth stage

• Tour de France - stage seventeen guide

The Dutch team’s decision to withdraw Rasmussen, just four days from the finish in Paris with victory seemingly assured, was endorsed by Pat McQuaid, the International Cycling Union (UCI) president. “I support the decision of the Rabobank team. If they felt that Rasmussen had not given them correct information, on the basis of that, they were right to withdraw him,” McQuaid said.

Rasmussen, who has been accused of missing four out-of-competition doping tests since March 2006, had been under intense pressure to clarify his whereabouts before this year’s Tour.

He had claimed to be in Mexico in June this year, but yesterday Davide Cassani, the Italian television commentator, stated that he had met the Dane training in the Italian Dolomites on June 13 and 14, dates on which Rasmussen had told his team that he was training in Mexico.

Rasmussen appeared assured of victory in this year’s race after winning yesterday’s final mountain stage. It was the 33-year-old’s second mountain stage win and consolidated his clear overall lead. Alberto Contador, the Spanish rider with the Discovery Channel team, now leads.

Concerns over Rasmussen’s failure to comply with out-of-competition doping controls were compounded by allegations from Whitney Richards, a former mountain biking colleague in Colorado, that the Dane had asked him to transport a packet to Italy, supposedly containing cycling shoes, that Richards claimed contained synthetic blood bags.

Since taking over the race lead, after his stage victory in Tignes 11 days ago, Rasmussen consistently rejected any claims of malpractice, telling journalists that “you can trust me”. Rasmussen maintained that he had failed to comply with antidoping regulations only through administrative errors. “I have made a mistake,” Rasmussen said in a press conference on Tuesday.

“The UCI has given me a recorded warning for the administrative mistake that I have made. I take full responsibility for it. I am sorry that this situation is coming out now, when I am wearing the yellow jersey. It’s harming a sport that I dearly love and it’s harming the Tour de France.”

His dismissal ended a torrid day that also saw the withdrawal of the Cofidis team of Bradley Wiggins, the British rider, in the aftermath of the failed drugs test of Cristian Moreni. The team’s Italian rider tested positive for testosterone after the eleventh stage to Montpellier.

Moreni, 34, the Italian national champion in 2004, was arrested by the French police on the finish line of yesterday’s sixteenth stage, from Orthez to the summit of the Col d’Aubisque in the French Pyrenees. Police officers also searched team vehicles, baggage and hotel accommodation in Pau.

Wiggins, a longstanding campaigner against drugs in sport, finished fourth in the Tour’s London prologue on July 7 and fifth in last Saturday’s 54-kilometre time-trial in Albi, which was won by Vinokourov.

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