Cycling | Hacker tries to sell Rasmussen info

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — A man has been arrested on suspicion he hacked into Danish cyclist Michael Rasmussen's e-mails and tried to sell them to a newspaper, police said Thursday.

The 30-year-old man, who was not named due to Danish privacy rules, reportedly claimed the e-mails contained information about Rasmussen's whereabouts before the Tour de France.

Rasmussen was kicked out of the Tour by his Rabobank team — while leading the race — for allegedly lying about his whereabouts to evade drug testers.

He missed random drug tests in May and June. He said he had been in Mexico, but a former Italian rider said he saw him in Italy at the time.

The man was arrested Wednesday after he allegedly tried to sell Rasmussen's e-mails to the B.T. newspaper in Copenhagen. He faces preliminary charges of illegally obtaining another person's e-mail. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to up to 18 months in prison.

B.T. said it was contacted on Monday by a person offering to sell the contents of Rasmussen's e-mail inbox. The man said he had guessed the rider's password to access the account. The newspaper contacted Rasmussen, who confirmed it was his e-mail account.

Notes

• Italy's Alessandro Petacchi will return to racing this weekend after being cleared of doping charges by his national federation.

Petacchi tested positive for salbutamol following his victory in the 11th stage of the Giro d'Italia on May 23. The Italian cycling federation cleared him of any doping violation last month, saying he had legitimate medical reasons for using the asthma medication.

• Italian time-trial champion Luca Ascani tested positive for EPO and was suspended by his country's Olympic committee pending a hearing.

Ascani, 24, tested positive for the banned blood-boosting hormone at the Italian national championships on June 26, when he won the time trial, the Italian Olympic Committee said. He faces a two-year ban if found guilty.

• German police searched the residence of Patrik Sinkewitz, the cyclist who admitted using a testosterone gel before failing a doping test in June during training for the Tour de France.

Sinkewitz was fired by his T-Mobile team Tuesday and acknowledged he "secretly" used a testosterone gel before failing a doping test during training on June 8. He declined to have his backup B sample tested.