The Tour de France is to cycling when the World Series is to baseball. But there, the comparison ends, particularly when it comes to the use of drugs to enhance performance.

Rasmussen leads Alberto Contador and Levi Leipheimer up Col d'Aubisque (AP Photo)

The differences became clear on Wednesday, as the top figure in one sport prepared for celebration and the top figure in another was sent home, although both were suspected of enhancing their performance with drugs.

In baseball, Barry Bonds is preparing to claim the sport’s most prestigious record by surpassing Hank Aaron’s 754 career home runs. Although there have been ubiquitous stories linking Bonds to illegally using drugs to improve his hitting, none other than Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig is expected to attend the San Francisco Giants games so he can be there for the historic moment.

In France, Michael Rasmussen was days away from winning the sport’s most prestigious race, the Tour de France, after holding off competitors on the Col d'Aubisque, a brutal mountain climb through the Pyranees. But, because of his failure to keep records consistent with the sport’s tough antidrug rules, he was yanked from the race Wednesday.

"Michael Rasmussen has been sent home for violating (the team's) internal rules," Rabobank team spokesman Jacob Bergsma told The Associated Press.

It was stunning news for the cycling world, which has been rocked by a years-long series of allegations – many of them unproven – that many cyclists have used banned substances to enhance their riding.

While baseball has been lax about enforcing such prohibitions, cycling has been brutal by imposing ever-stiffer rules that include frequent tests and severe penalties. Punishments include forfeiting years of salary and multiyear bans on participation. The sport also allows a lifetime ban for egregious violations.

Major Setback
The news about Rasmussen was tragic for the tour, which was trying to recover this year after last year's scandal involving American cyclist Floyd Landis, who won the 2006 tour. Landis, who continues to deny any guilt, tested high, twice, for testosterone.

This year's tour was intended to be squeaky clean, and most teams adopted rules that went beyond the sport's rigid rules to make sure. But it has instead turned into a media circus.

Rasmussen was not the first star to fall to suspicions of drug use in this year’s tour. On Tuesday, Alexandre Vinokourov was sent home and his entire Astana team withdrew on mere allegations – which Vinokourov denied – that he had received an illegal blood infusion.

Just earlier on Wednesday, French police led away rider Cristian Moreni after he tested positive for testosterone. Moreni’s detention prompted the withdrawal of his entire Cofidis team, and police quickly searched their hotel for evidence.  "He accepted his wrongdoing and did not ask for a B-sample," Cofidis manager Eric Boyer said, referring to the option cyclists have of requiring a follow-up test.

French riders staged a protest at the start of Wednesday's 16th stage to express disgust at the repeated doping scandals that have left cycling's credibility in tatters. 

Rasmussen, who was top ranked going into that stage, won the day and remained in the overall lead of the race which ends this weekend in Paris. Then the news broke about his suspension.

Broad Reaction
Jean-Francois Lamour, vice president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, speculated cycling could be dropped from the Olympics. One of Switzerland's biggest newspapers stopped writing about the Tour after the first allegations. German television dropped its coverage two weeks ago after tour rider Patrick Sinkewitz tested positive for high levels of testosterone. Sinkewitz has denied doping and asked for his B sample to be tested, with the results expected to be known by Sunday as the tour finishes.

With Rasmussen’s withdrawal, Alberto Contador of Spain is now in first place, with Cadel Evans in second, and Levi Leipheimer of the United States in third.

Ramussen was booed a the start of Wednesday’s stage and along the route. "It did happen during the stage," Rasmussen said of the booing. "I believe there's a lot of frustration among the people and in the peloton about what's going on. About what happened to Vino, since he is not here, people are taking their frustrations out on me."    

At the start of the stage, the pack of riders split into two groups: those who took the start as normal - including Rasmussen - and those who protested by hanging back, causing a 13-minute delay. Said French rider Ludovic Turpin: “We're fed up.”    

Imagine if American baseball players felt that way.    

Redwood Age news services contributed to this story.