It’s Monday morning and time to review Michael Rasmussen’s weekend dancing in the Danish TV Show “Wild With Dance”.
Only this will be the last update on The Chicken’s dance moves. Things ended in familiar style with Rasmussen being thrown out of the competition, only without Prudhomme, Cassani and De Rooy on the jury this time.
Rasmussen and dance partner Mie started with a jive and their moves were improved, Rasmussen looking less scared than usual. Then – I’m not making this up – Michael Rasmussen’s last dance was a Viennese waltz. A curious choice given the doping network in Vienna and alleged links to Rasmussen.
I can only report on the show but the real purpose of the show has been a public-relations exercise to rehabilitate Rasmussen’s image. A man exposed as a cheat and a liar is trying to show a more human and fun side and I don’t know whether he’s gained any favour in Denmark from participation. As an outsider it all looks a bit tragic although he’s probably pocketed more money from this show.
I don't like it at all that the danish are giving Rasmussen this room to shine and treats him like a sports hero. Even if he's not convicted the stories about the chicken and doping can't be wrong… We see the same in Italy and Spain all the time. makes me sick, no wonder there is little hope to get rid of doping in pro-cyclimg.
Having read some of the Danish stuff about Rasmussen and looked at the new cycling pathways stuff (http://newcyclingpathways.blogspot.com/2010/04/two-stories-about-michaelrasmussen.html and the stuff in the main PDF) I have to say I get the feeling he was pretty much hung out to dry and fairly harshly treated.
It seems unclear that he should have been sanctioned on lack of whereabouts grounds, more given a warning. Given that Vino who did test positive on 2007 has done his time and been welcomed back, you have to ask why Rasmussen hasn't.
Mia: yes, he's profitting from a notoriety gained for the wrong reasons. But it's not normal.
Alex: rules do seem to be applied differently. This can sometimes be down to expressions of remorse but also nationality plays a big deal, for example an Italian like Basso gets busted whilst a Spaniard linked in the same Puerto case isn't touched. There's talk of a particular blacklist and determined efforts by the UCI to block particular riders.
Not feeling sorry for Rasmussen ever since the shoebox story, the one he tried to get on a transatlantic flight by giving it to a friend who took a peek and found it was filled not with shoes but bags of blood replacers.
I too don't feel that sorry either but it seems some riders get caught and blacklisted but others come back.
This concerns me more than a dance show.
tanks for the reply. Just a bit upset that nothing seems to be working out in concering doping.. Tanks for good info from Alex also. I read an article a while back criciticing the danish for not giving either Riis or the chicken enought hard times, i guess it was not as true as stated there.
As I remeber the new WADA report from TdF2010 suggested that UCI should give the punishment to the riders and not let the nationality be crucial.