Rasmussen continues climb up Tour charts
Rabobank team rider Michael Rasmussen of Denmark wears the leader's yellow jersey as he celebrates his victory on the podium after winning the eighth stage of the 94th Tour de France cycling race between Le Grand-Bornand and Tignes in the French Alpes on Sunday. Reuters |
On Sunday, the Rabobank rider powered to a solo victory in the 165-km eighth stage from Le Grand-Bornand to Tignes to take the overall lead.
He now believes he could take the coveted leader's jellow jersey all the way back to Paris.
"I am a pure climber so I need to grab as much time as I can in the mountains," Rasmussen said.
"When I came close to the podium two years ago, it crossed my mind I could win the Tour in the future. But I need to be better in the time trials.
"But this could be my year as the Pyrenees are extremely difficult. But again, I need to improve in the time trials."
Rasmussen already looks set to win the climbers' polka-dot jersey for the third year in succession.
Two years ago, the 1999 mountain bike cross-country world champion built his success on a victory in Mulhouse after trekking through the less demanding massif of Les Vosges.
Last year, the 33-year-old Dane broke clear of the peloton 173 km from the finish to take the polka-dot jersey at the end of a fantastic ride.
On Sunday he showed again he was one of the top climbers in the peloton.
The Copenhagen-born rider made his professional road racing debut only five years ago.
He first went to Danish team CSC but could not adjust to the methods of manager Bjarne Riis and moved to Dutch outfit Rabobank in his second season.
The decision paid off as Rasmussen won a mountain stage on the Vuelta a Espana in 2003 and now has three Tour de France stages to his name.
However, two years ago he missed out on a podium in the overall standings after crashing three times in the final time trial in St Etienne.
Rasmussen had thought for a long time he could do well in the mountains if he lost weight. He is allergic to lactose and often refuses to drink during a climb in order to keep his weight down.
Married to a Mexican, he trains at altitude in his wife's home country and relishes riding on his own. Rasmussen has a reputation for being fussy.
"He could completely change his bike before the start of a race," said a CSC mechanic. "Once, he even filed down the tube of his saddle because he thought it was one millimetre too high."
Agencies
(China Daily 07/17/2007 page23)
