COL D'AUBISQUE, France—Battered and bruised, the Tour de France begins the 17th stage on Thursday minus its leader.
Dane Michael Rasmussen was dramatically dismissed by Rabobank on Wednesday after the Dutch team said he had lied about his training whereabouts in June.
Rabobank team mates, said by a spokesman to be "confused, angry and sad", met late into the evening to determine whether to continue the Tour but a decision is not expected until later on Thursday, before the start in Pau.
Rasmussen's sacking is the latest blow to the Tour's credibility, coming so soon after the announcement of positive dope tests on pre-race favourite Alexander Vinokourov and Italy's Cristian Moreni.
Rabobank said Rasmussen had told them he was in Mexico when he had in fact been in Italy.
The Dutch firm added: "Rabobank is shocked and enormously disappointed that Rasmussen has lied about his whereabouts."
It described the episode as "a dark page" in the history of the team.
Rasmussen was already under a cloud after being dropped from the Danish national team over failing to report his whereabouts in training.
On Wednesday, he was jeered by the crowd at the start but won the stage and extended his overall lead to three minutes 10 seconds.
Now that counts for nothing as the yellow jersey passes, with four days to go, to Spain's Alberto Contador.
Cofidis Team Quits after Moreni fails test
The 34-year-old, Moreni, Italian champion in 2004, failed a dope test for the male sex hormone testosterone after last Thursday's 11th stage from Marseille to Montpellier.
It was the second time in a day that the Tour had been hit by news of a positive finding, following pre-race favourite Alexander Vinokourov on Tuesday.
Both men's teams have now quit the Tour which ends in Paris on Sunday with Dane Michael Rasmussen, himself under a cloud, favourite to win after capturing Wednesday's 16th stage despite being booed at the start.
Race jury president Didier Simon told reporters on Wednesday Moreni had had three hours to request an analysis of the B sample but had not asked for it.
Moreni's team Cofidis later announced they were withdrawing from the Tour, joining Vinokourov's Astana on the sidelines.
"It's the only thing to do in such circumstances," said Cofidis president Francois Migraine.
Patrice Clerc, president of organisers ASO, agreed: "It's a responsible decision. It is sad because I know this team has made a lot of efforts to fight for a clean sport."
Ironically, only on Tuesday Cofidis set up the Movement for Credible Cycling with other teams competing in the Tour, asking for all to abide by their charter adopted in 2005 under which riders implicated in doping affairs are not allowed to race.
Cofidis team manager Eric Boyer said of Wednesday's news: "It's an earthquake. This can have very serious consequences for the future of the team."
Hotel Searched
Witnesses said Moreni was arrested by French gendarmerie after Wednesday's stage and the Cofidis team hotel in Lescar searched.
The Moreni announcement came a day after news that Kazakh Vinokourov (known as Vino) had tested positive for blood doping following his victory in last Saturday's time trial in Albi.
Moreni finished 41st on Wednesday, well behind yellow jersey holder Rasmussen, whose failure to provide notice to anti-doping authorities of his whereabouts during training has prompted Denmark to drop him from their national team.
He said after Wednesday's victory: "I have been booed but there is such a frustration from the fans and the peloton after Vino's positive test and that frustration came down on me."
"Now I understand what (Lance) Armstrong endured during seven years," Rasmussen said in reference to the seven-times Tour champion who faced several allegations of doping, all of which he strongly denied.
"I want to add that Vino's positive test shows the anti-doping system works. I have been tested 14 times and never been positive."
Detrimental Image
The UCI said in a statement on Wednesday: "Whereas the question of the culpability of Mr Vinokourov will be answered by the competent disciplinary bodies, the UCI realises that the mere fact of an adverse analytical finding is detrimental to the image of cycling and of the race where the finding occurred, in this case the Tour de France.
"More than the financial cost, this is the painful price for UCI's intensive anti-doping fight. Race organiser ASO has to be congratulated for its financial and moral support in the fight against doping."
Like Moreni, last year's Tour champion Floyd Landis also tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone on his way to victory.
The American denies any wrongdoing and is waiting to hear the ruling on his case by a U.S. arbitration panel. If he is found guilty, Landis will be the first Tour winner to be stripped of the title.
Moreni's failure is the latest in a series of doping episodes in Italian cycling though on Tuesday Alessandro Petacchi was cleared by the Italian federation after a dope test in May's Giro showed excessive levels of salbutamol.
Petacchi has clearance to use an asthma inhaler but Italy's Olympic Committee are appealing the federation's decision.
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