Michael Rasmussen (cyclist)

Michael Rasmussen
Personal information
NicknameKyllingen fra Tølløse
(The Chicken from Tølløse)
Born (1974-06-01) 1 June 1974 (age 50)
Tølløse, Denmark
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Weight60 kg (132 lb; 9 st 6 lb)[1]
Team information
Current teamRetired
DisciplineRoad, mountain biking
RoleRider
Rider typeClimbing specialist
Professional teams
1993–1994Wheeler (MTB)
1995–1996Scott International (MTB)
1997–1998Trek-Volkswagen (MTB)
1999Gary Fisher (MTB)
2000–2001Haro-Lee (MTB)
2001Dungarees (MTB)
2001CSC–Tiscali (stagiaire)
2002CSC–Tiscali
2003–2007Rabobank
2009Tecos Guadalajara
2010Miche
2011–2013Christina Watches–Onfone
Major wins
Grand Tours
Tour de France
Mountains classification (2005, 2006)
4 individual stages (2005, 2006, 2007)
Vuelta a España
1 individual stage (2003)
Medal record
Men's mountain bike racing
Representing  Denmark
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1999 Åre Cross-country

Michael Rasmussen (born 1 June 1974) is a retired Danish professional cyclist who competed in road racing and mountain biking. His most notable victories include four stages of the Tour de France (shared Danish record), and one stage of the Vuelta a España. He also won the best climber classification in the 2005 and 2006 Tour de France.

Specializing in climbing, Rasmussen showed a propensity for attempting spectacular wins in mountain stages in which he broke away from the peloton early and rode alone for most of the stage. Michael Rasmussen was known for his care for detail when considering weight. With a low weight (60 kg) he was usually one of the lightest riders in his class.

In the 2007 Tour de France, Rasmussen while wearing the yellow jersey and well on his way to winning the Tour, had his contract terminated by his team and was removed from the Tour. He served a two-year ban from July 2007 to July 2009 for lying about his whereabouts. At a press conference on 31 January 2013, Rasmussen admitted that he had used performance-enhancing drugs and methods, including EPO, growth hormones, insulin, testosterone, DHEA, IGF-1, Oxyglobin, cortisone and blood doping, for most of his professional career.[2]

  1. ^ a b Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Michael Rasmussen". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  2. ^ Rasmussen ord for ord: Jeg har snydt, løjet og bedraget folk [Rasmussen verbatim: I have cheated, lied and deceived people] (in Danish), Politiken, 2013-01-31, retrieved 31 January 2013