Shamed cyclist Rasmussen ordered to repay former team

Denmark’s Rasmussen was sacked by his Rabobank team in incredible circumstances while leading the Tour de France in 2007 with just four stages remaining.

It emerged that Rasmussen had been training in Italy prior to the race, rather than being in Mexico as he had told the UCI and his team. That led to him missing three doping tests, earning him the sack when he was on the verge of the biggest win of his career.

Rasmussen, who at the time claimed he was guilty only of an administrative mistake, successfully sued Rabobank for 715,000 euros for wrongful dismissal a year later, but continued to pursue them for 5,000,000 euros instead on the basis that the decision cost him victory in the Tour de France.

Slightly incredibly, Rasmussen's legal action was still ongoing despite the fact that he admitted earlier this year that he had indeed been doping - an admission that he made in order to get a clean slate and get a new job in the sport.

But Holland's De Telegraaf reports that a court in Arnhem took a dim view of a drug cheat trying to sue his employers for what turned out to be a fully justified firing. Not only did he not get his damages increased, but he was also ordered to repay 663,000 euros of the money he had originally won – some £565,000.