Tour de France: Michael Rasmussen wins stage 16
{{date|July 25, 2007}}__noTOC__
{{Tour de France 2007}}[[Image:Tour 2007 - 16.PNG|thumb|left|250px|Stage 16 profile]]
[[w:Michael Rasmussen|Michael Rasmussen]] of [[Denmark]] has won stage 16 of the [[w:2007 Tour de France|2007 Tour de France]] in a time of 6h 23' 21".

Rasmussen increased his overall lead by 35" over [[w:Alberto Contador|Alberto Contador]] of [[Spain]], who finished third.

After a rest day, the riders faced the third-longest, 218.5 [[w:Kilometre|km]], and arguably the Tour’s hardest, stage. The first challenge was the brutal [[w:Port de Larrau|Port de Larrau]] (14.7 km climb at 8.1%), which is just 79km into the stage. The race dips into [[Spain]] for some 50 kilometres at the summit, the fourth country visited in this year’s Tour. From there, there was little reprieve for the riders, hitting the Alto Laza and the [[w:Col de la Pierre St Martin|Col de la Pierre St Martin]] (14.2 km climb at 5.2%) before descending to the start of the difficult, and very steep, first-category [[w:Col de Marie-Blanque|Col de Marie-Blanque]] (9.3 km climb at 7.4%). The riders then climb the infamous [[w:Col d'Aubisque|Col d'Aubisque]] (16.7 km climb at 7%), which will reward out-and-out climbing ability and punish the legs of all the major contenders.

The entire [[w:Astana Team|Astana Team]] withdrew from the Tour prior to this stage due to [[w:Alexander Vinokourov|Alexander Vinokourov]] testing positive for [[w:blood doping|blood doping]]. Some riders staged a protest against doping at the start.

Another doping scandal hit the Tour today. [[w:Cristian Moreni|Cristian Moreni]] of [[Italy]] tested positive for [[w:Testosterone#Athletic use|testosterone]] in a test conducted after Thursday's stage 11. Moreni was questioned by police. [[w:Cofidis (cycling team)|Cofidis]] team manager Eric Boyer told ''Reuters'': "He accepted his wrongdoing and did not ask for a B-sample."

Like Astana did, Cofidis has withdrawn its entire team from the Tour. François Migraine, the team president and CEO of the sponsoring insurance company, [[w:Cofidis|Cofidis]], said: "It's the only thing to do in such circumstances."

==Post-stage statements==
{{CQuote|It’s true that I was booed at the start and again during the stage also. I believe that, for the moment, there’s a lot of frustration amongst the people who follow cycling and in the peloton about what’s going on – about what happened to ‘Vino’ yesterday – and I think that since he is not here and the Astana team has gone home, people are taking their frustration out on me. I understand now what Lance Armstrong went through for seven years and my respect for him is growing day by day. 
The only good thing there is to say about the Vinokourov case is that it proves that the system is working and to that I can only add that I’ve had 14 negative tests so far during this Tour. 
Now the overall victory is more important than stage wins but with the position that I was able to put myself in – winning the queen stage of the Tour while in the yellow jersey – it was pretty hard to deny taking the opportunity to do so.|Michael Rasmussen, Rabobank}}

{{update|Tour de France: Yellow jersey Rasmussen withdrawn}}
==Stage 16 results==
{| class="wikitable"
!Rank!!Rider!!Team!!Time
|-bgcolor=yellow
|'''1'''
|'''[[w:Michael Rasmussen|Michael Rasmussen]]'''
|'''[[w:Rabobank (cycling)|Rabobank]]'''
|align=right|    '''6h 23'21"'''
|-
|2
|[[w:Levi Leipheimer|Levi Leipheimer]]
|[[w:Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team|Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team]]
|align=right| +26"
|-bgcolor=lightblue
|3 
|[[w:Alberto Contador|Alberto Contador]]
|[[w:Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team|Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team]]
|align=right| +35"
|-
|4 
|[[w:Cadel Evans|Cadel Evans]]
|[[w:Predictor-Lotto|Predictor-Lotto]]
|align=right| +43"
|-bgcolor=pink
|5
|[[w:Mauricio Soler|Mauricio Soler]]
|[[w:Barloworld|Barloworld]]
|align=right| +1'25"
|-
|6
|[[w:Haimar Zubeldia|Haimar Zubeldia]]
|[[w:Euskaltel-Euskadi|Euskaltel-Euskadi]]
|align=right| +1'52"
|-
|7
|[[w:Juan José Cobo|Juan José Cobo]]
|[[w:Saunier Duval-Prodir|Saunier Duval-Prodir]]
|align=right| +1'54"
|-
|8 
|[[w:Carlos Sastre|Carlos Sastre]]
|[[w:Team CSC|Team CSC]]
|align=right| +2'12"
|-
|9
|[[w:Oscar Pereiro|Oscar Pereiro]]
|[[w:Caisse d'Epargne|Caisse d'Epargne]]
|align=right| +2'27"
|-
|10
|[[w:Alejandro Valverde|Alejandro Valverde]]
|[[w:Caisse d'Epargne|Caisse d'Epargne]]
|align=right| s.t."
|-
|}

==[[w:Yellow jersey|General classification]] after stage 16==
{| class="wikitable"
!Rank!!Rider!!Team!!Time
|- bgcolor=yellow
|'''1'''
|'''[[w:Michael Rasmussen|Michael Rasmussen]]'''
|'''[[w:Rabobank (cycling)|Rabobank]]'''
|align=right|    '''76h 15' 15"'''
|-bgcolor=lightblue
|2 
|[[w:Alberto Contador|Alberto Contador]]
|[[w:Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team|Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team]]
|align=right| +3' 10"
|- 
|3
|[[w:Cadel Evans|Cadel Evans]]
|[[w:Predictor-Lotto|Predictor-Lotto]]
|align=right| +5' 03"
|-
|4
|[[w:Levi Leipheimer|Levi Leipheimer]]
|[[w:Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team|Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team]]
|align=right| +5' 59"
|-
|5
|[[w:Carlos Sastre|Carlos Sastre]]
|[[w:Team CSC|Team CSC]]
|align=right| +9' 12"
|-
|6 
|[[w:Haimar Zubeldia|Haimar Zubeldia]]
|[[w:Euskaltel-Euskadi|Euskaltel-Euskadi]]
|align=right| +9' 39"
|-
|7
|[[w:Alejandro Valverde|Alejandro Valverde]]
|[[w:Caisse d'Epargne|Caisse d'Epargne]]
|align=right| +13' 28"
|-
|8 
|[[w:Kim Kirchen|Kim Kirchen]]
|[[w:T-Mobile Team|T-Mobile Team]]
|align=right| +14' 46"
|-
|9
|[[w:Yaroslav Popovych|Yaroslav Popovych]]
|[[w:Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team|Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team]]
|align=right| +16' 00"
|-bgcolor=pink 
|10
|[[w:Mauricio Soler|Mauricio Soler]]
|[[w:Barloworld|Barloworld]]
|align=right| +16' 41"
|}

==Sources==
*{{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/6916422.stm
|title=Wiggins' Cofidis team out of Tour
|author=
|pub=BBC Sport
|date=July 25, 2007}}
*{{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/6916141.stm
|title=Rasmussen powers to mountain win
|author=
|pub=BBC Sport
|date=July 25, 2007}}
*{{source|url=http://www.letour.fr/2007/TDF/LIVE/us/1600/journal_etape.html
|title=Key moments
|author=
|pub=Tour de France
|date=July 25, 2007}}
*{{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/6911541.stm
|title=Stage sixteen - as it happened
|author=Andy Nicolson and Mark Orlovac
|pub=BBC Sport
|date=July 25, 2007}}
*{{source|url=http://www.letour.fr/2007/TDF/LIVE/us/1600/index.html
|title=stage 16 - Orthez  Gourette - Col d’Aubisque 218.5 km
|author=
|pub=Tour de France
|date=July 25, 2007}}

{{publish}}
{{archived}}

[[Category:Sports]]
[[Category:Cycling]]
[[Category:2007 Tour de France]]
[[Category:Europe]]
[[Category:France]]
[[Category:Lance Armstrong]]
[[Category:Doping]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Michael Rasmussen wins stage 16}}
__noTOC__
Stage 16 profile
Michael Rasmussen of Denmark has won stage 16 of the 2007 Tour de France in a time of 6h 23' 21".

Rasmussen increased his overall lead by 35" over Alberto Contador of Spain, who finished third.

After a rest day, the riders faced the third-longest, 218.5 km, and arguably the Tour’s hardest, stage. The first challenge was the brutal Port de Larrau (14.7 km climb at 8.1%), which is just 79km into the stage. The race dips into Spain for some 50 kilometres at the summit, the fourth country visited in this year’s Tour. From there, there was little reprieve for the riders, hitting the Alto Laza and the Col de la Pierre St Martin (14.2 km climb at 5.2%) before descending to the start of the difficult, and very steep, first-category Col de Marie-Blanque (9.3 km climb at 7.4%). The riders then climb the infamous Col d'Aubisque (16.7 km climb at 7%), which will reward out-and-out climbing ability and punish the legs of all the major contenders.

The entire Astana Team withdrew from the Tour prior to this stage due to Alexander Vinokourov testing positive for blood doping. Some riders staged a protest against doping at the start.

Another doping scandal hit the Tour today. Cristian Moreni of Italy tested positive for testosterone in a test conducted after Thursday's stage 11. Moreni was questioned by police. Cofidis team manager Eric Boyer told Reuters: "He accepted his wrongdoing and did not ask for a B-sample."

Like Astana did, Cofidis has withdrawn its entire team from the Tour. François Migraine, the team president and CEO of the sponsoring insurance company, Cofidis, said: "It's the only thing to do in such circumstances."
Sports Cycling 2007 Tour de France Europe France Lance Armstrong Doping