Michael Rasmussen’s Rabobank team have confirmed they have withdrawn the Tour de France leader from this year’s race and sacked him “on the spot” for apparently “lying about his whereabouts”.

COLOMBIAN Juan Mauricio Soler Hernandez has won stage nine of the Tour de France from Val d’Isere to Briancon.

DENMARK’S Michael Rasmussen won the eighth stage of the Tour de France by a comfortable margin and claimed the yellow jersey in the process.