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Man cuffed over 'cycling cheat' email hack

Tour de Farce

A man suspected of hacking into the emails of controversial Danish cyclist Michael Rasmussen in a bid to look for dirt has been arrested in Denmark.

The 30-year suspect, who can't be named for legal reasons, allegedly broke into Rasmussen's account in a hunt for evidence of his whereabouts at the time of missed drug tests. The alleged perp tried to sell these emails to Danish regional paper BT, the AP reports.

BT said it was approached by a man offering to sell Rasmussen's e-mail inbox on Monday. The miscreant told the paper he broke into the account after guessing the rider's password. After contacting Rasmussen and confirming that he owned the the account the paper contacted police.

Officers subsequently raided the suspect's home in Herning, western Denmark. They seized computers and charged the suspect with computer hacking offences, punishable on conviction by up to 18 months imprisonment.

Rasmussen was fired by his Rabobank team and subsequently removed from the Tour de France - while leading the grueling race - over allegations that he lied about his whereabouts in order to evade drug testing. The climbing specialist missed random drug tests in May and June. A retired professional rider said he saw Rasmusen in Italy during June at a time when the Dane claimed he was half way across the world in Mexico.

The accusations came to a head on 25 July, shortly after Rasmussen won a mountain stage to virtually ensure his overall win of the 2007 Tour de France four days before its conclusion in Paris, when he was fired by his Rabobank team. Spain's Alberto Contador subsequently won the Tour. ®

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