Rasmussen was dogged all day Friday, from the moment he stepped off the team bus in the morning, to when he held a brief press conference in the leader's yellow jersey.
He failed to report his whereabouts to cycling's governing body for out-of-competition drug-testing purposes. That meant he was not available for random testing before the Tour.
The 33-year-old Danish rider was fired late Thursday night by the Danish national cycling team and it didn't appear to bother him much during Friday's 12th stage.
"I do admit that I've committed an administrative error," Rasmussen said outside the Rabobank team bus, when the diminutive Dane almost disappeared under a swarm of television cameras and microphones.
Later Friday, a former amateur mountain bike racer from Boulder, Colo., accused Rasmussen of trying to trick him into carrying illicit doping materials into Italy five years ago.
Whitney Richards said Rasmussen asked him to carry a pair of cycling shoes in March 2002 when Richards was moving to Italy. When he opened the box, Richards said he found 14 IV bags filled with human blood substitute, which he poured down the drain.
The 31-year-old Richards told The Associated Press on Friday that he decided to go public with his story after Rasmussen promised cycling fans they could trust him.
Asked about the allegations at a post-race news conference, Rasmussen said he was familiar with Richards' name but declined further comment.
"He's a very nice guy," Richards said. "That's the thing that kind of (stinks) about some of this stuff. He's a really talented athlete and a super-smart guy. It's not like he's a monster. He just made a bad decision _ and then he dragged me in and got me involved."
Rabobank stood by its rider.
"All I can say is that it happened in 2002 at a time when Michael Rasmussen was not on our team," team spokesman Jacob Bergsma said. "He joined the team in 2003. Based on his medical records, we have no doubts about Michael Rasmussen.
"That's all I can say about it."
Rasmussen was not bothered much by his own federation firing him.
"How about this much?", Rasmussen said, holding a thumb and forefinger narrowly apart.
International rules require cyclists to keep officials informed of their whereabouts for possible unannounced doping checks by e-mail, text message, or mail.
Rasmussen received a warning on June 29 from the UCI because he missed random drug tests on May 8 and June 28. Anti-doping officials could not find him, and he was reportedly training in Mexico.
Three no-shows is considered equivalent to a positive test and could lead to a ban. Two means not yet guilty of anything except absent-mindedness.
Rasmussen said he sent a letter from Italy, where he lives. He said he didn't have a computer in Mexico, where he was when Danish anti-doping officials came knocking at his home.
"You can't blame the postal system," said Jesper Worre, director of the Danish cycling union. Not having a computer is "his problem. You can't use that as an excuse."
