I agree with Marc why has he not shown his passport to prove
he was in Mexico during that period. I was extremely pleased
with his progress this year and the why he was winning the race. This was a blow to me for him to be fired. Michael needs to present his passport to prove where he was.

marion, dallas, tx

If his team actually had a problem with his whereabouts back in May and June, they should have never let him start the race. To top it off, they waited until after the 16th stage, another stage victory, and a guaranteed yellow jersey, to pull him. Did they suddenly grow a conscience? This to me seems like jealousy and internal team politics. I guarantee that if he was not in a winning position, he would have never been pulled by his team. In the early victories by Lance, people said they had seen him talking to suspicious Italian doctors but everyone supported him by saying he never tested positive at the tour. Well neither did Rasmussen. Where is his support? Perhaps if he was a cancer survivor people would give him the benefit of the doubt. Don't be surprised if Rasmussen wins a big fat lawsuit against his team and he deserves at least that. Imagine, not a single positive doping test at the tour and the yellow jersey ripped from you hands because someone thinks he saw you.

Dan P, San Francisco,

All Michael Rasmussen has to do to prove once and for all that he was in Mexico at the time others claim he was in Italy, is produce his passport with the Mexican border control stamps in it, airline tickets, hotel bills etc.

He's no phantom. His travels left a paper trail. His lawyer should produce it and prove he's innocent.

Rex Thompson, London, UK

To be honest I am quite affected by Michael Rasmussen being fired by Rabobank and then pulled from Tour De France. Certainly Michael Rasmussen didn't do things by the book, but I still thought or hoped that you had to be proven guilty, before anything like this could happen. Lots of the things he has said and done do indeed indicate that something could be wrong, but not necessarily that something IS wrong. Show me some kind of evidence!

Bjarne Alling, Broenshoej, Denmark

I'm disgusted by the witch-hunt that professional cycling has become. A teammate of Rasmussen's claims that he was in Italy when he claims he was in Mexico, and for this the team fires him, in the midst of the Tour, and while he's wearing the yellow jersey? The elders of Salem would find that a bit hasty, I think. Cycling needs to realize that its legimitacy is compromised just as much by these precipitous and often unfair judgments as it is by the doping which we all know is rampant in the sport. I for one think that if Rasmussen is exonerated in the future, Rabobank should have its license revoked and not be allowed to front pro cycling teams any more. It's gotten to the point where all anyone has to do is point a finger and say "Dope!" and teams go scurrying to punish their athletes. And the fans and the sport suffer when as happened last year, top contenders are accused, withdrawn from competition, and then cleared only after the fact.

Jerrod, Augusta, GA,USA

I agree with Derrick and the Superbowl analogy. I agree Rasmussen should provide proof that he was in Mexico but it seems the allegations against him are just heresay and we don't know the true motives of the accuser(s).

J.S., St. John, IN

I believe Rasmussen is clean. He acknowledge the fact that he'd miss the 2 test, he did not deny it. I think Rabobank used him as their fall out man. Other riders on team are probably guilty of something and all the attention being paid to Rasmussen may have lead official to look at the team closer. So they did the easy thing, get rid of the "problem" that is drawing suspicion. A former team mate, as it was said, sold him out. How can they take the word of one man. "Oh I saw him in Italy". Sound reliable right, well you know what I think I saw him riding in my neighbor back in June also. It was him I know, he looks much different they all those other dozen cyclist riding the road. I mean really how many skinny guys do you see riding bikes? As for the rules I think they work after all you can miss 3 total before it’s a problem. He missed 2 not 3. He was stripped of his “win” because the TEAM hade something to hide. He will be back next year and he will win.

Richard, Chesapeake, Virginia

I am impressed that Rasmussen's Team took this action. They should be awarded a special prize for taking action which will imeasureably enhance the significance & standing of their sport by showing young people that the rule breakers, regardless of their ability & standing, will be disqualified from competition.

N.Hamilton, Bloomington, Bloomington, IL

It's the 21century - we should be able to know where someone was. We should be able to tracking him from his passport, airline records, and credit card receipts. If he can't produce these - GUILTY! I have emmensely enjoyed watching his ride in this year's tour but If he lieing about where he was I never want to see him in a race again - ever!. He is a cheat and a traitor to his sport. I hope he gets shunned by the sport and his fellow riders.

paul robb, Milwaukee, USA

I can' understand why the media has done such a poor job on this story. There has to a great deal of hard evidence about where Rasmussen trained. Why doesn't a reporter simply ask him which airline flew him to Mexico and back and when. Then check with the the airline to see if it is true. There must also be credit card evidence.

Andrew Male, Montreal, Canada

It would be simple for Rasmussen to prove where he had been during May and June. All he has to do is produce his passport. Its not clear why Rabobank didn't resolve the question of where he was by looking at his passport instead of relying on others to say they had seen him.

Marc, Tucson, AZ

Rasmussen's performance was beyond category - so it brings his entire performance into question. I only wish it wern't so because he has been a great racer. I am heart sick about this year's race although there are bright points of light.

Fred Wilson, San Angelo, TX

Only in Europe. It's like taking the star quarterback our of the Superbowl at half time, when he has his team ahead by 10 points.

Derrick, Greensboro, USA/NC

If you want to clean up the sport and the Tour de France, teams and officials are going to have to enforce drug-testing in the off-season and preseason. I think it 's perfectly fair for Rabobank to pull Rasmussen from the race and to penalize him with a short suspension for the discrepancies in his journals. Firing him seems pretty harsh, but I am sure they are sending a message to any rider who breaks the rules and lies to his team. Testing negative during the race does not mean a rider is clean and evading drug tests out of competition should be considered a serious infraction with serious consequences.

J.Fairfax, Kansas City, KS