Rabo riders knew Chicken fibbed, and more

Rasmussen meets the journalist who revealed "the lie that sank the ship" and a teammate admits the Rabo riders knew that "Chicken" wasn't in Mexico when he said he was. Just to remind you, Chicken was leading the biggest bike race in the world when his team pulled him from the race for his little white lie. On the basis that it "probably" covered up a bigger lie, of course, and one that remains unproven and contested by Rasmussen. Oh for some truth and substance, eh?

On the same program where Van Heeswijk made his claims, Rasmussen met Cassani again for the first time since last year's fallout. Cassani expressed his remorse for revealing Rasmussen's lie to the public, "I cried that evening that they sent you home. I felt terrible. I felt as if I had stabbed you in the back," the Italian said. Rasmussen didn't blame him, saying, "I know who sent me home. You told your story in good faith."

Maybe an apology will do?

If you aren't in the mood to sue, maybe an apology will do?

Team Rabobank is requesting an apology from the German television broadcaster ARD, which had said that current and former Rabo riders Michael Boogerd, Denis Menchov and Michael Rasmussen were blood-doping clients of the Viennese blood laboratory "Humanplasma". ARD issued a public apology last week after it had said that four named cyclists and unnamed German biathletes and cross-country skiers had ties to the blood bank, implicating their doping activities. But the apology did not specifically address the cyclists, and the Rabobank management considered it insufficient.