Michael Rasmussen (Photo: capture-the-peloton.com)

PAU, Jul 26 (CP) - Former Tour de France leader Michael Rasmussen accused Rabobank director Theo de Rooij of lying, and continues to deny his stay in Italy last month.

The Dane told newspaper Politiken: "My boss is crazy, I did not lie."

Rasmussen was impossible to reach during his supposed stay in Mexico, during which he was allegedly seen by former cyclist and RAI commentator Davide Casani in Italy.

But the rider refuses to admit to having spent time in Italy and insists that he really was in Mexico but that he was hard to reach: "I don't ride around with a fax machine on my back."

Another Danish newspaper, Jyllands Posten, interviewed a psychologist about Rasmussen: "He is close to a nervous breakdown. Cycling is his world and now that has been taken away from him. He's candidate number one for crisis help."

© Jonathan Roorda