A former team-mate of Lance Armstrong has alleged that the seven-time Tour de France champion used performance-enhancing drugs in his presence.
Tyler Hamilton, who rode alongside Armstrong at US Postal from 1998 to 2001, revealed that he had administered the blood booster EPO ‘many, many times’ and claimed to have seen Armstrong use the substance on more than one occasion.
At 40 years old, Hamilton is not the first former team-mate to accuse Armstrong of cheating; however, he is the first to assert he witnessed it first-hand. Armstrong has persistently denied any involvement with drugs throughout his career.
Hamilton recounted, ‘I saw (EPO) in his refrigerator,’ during an interview with CBS. He continued, ‘I saw him inject it more than once, just like we all did. Like I did, many, many times.’
Going beyond his personal observations, Hamilton claimed that doping was rampant throughout the sport.
‘Armstrong took what we all took,’ he said, adding, ‘The majority of the peloton was involved. There was EPO, testosterone, a blood transfusion.’
Last July, Hamilton testified behind closed doors to a federal grand jury after being subpoenaed as part of a doping investigation concerning US Postal. He retired in 2009 following an eight-year ban due to a second doping violation.
Armstrong’s spokesman has denied the allegations, and the cyclist, who is a highly prominent figure in the sport, took to Twitter to refute the claims.He tweeted, ’20+ year career. 500 drug controls worldwide, in and out of competition. Never a failed test. I rest my case.’
Hamilton admitted, ‘I used performance-enhancing drugs. I lied about it, repeatedly. Worst of all, I hurt those I care about.’
He elaborated, ‘The question on everyone’s mind is, why now? There are two reasons.’
‘The first relates to the federal investigation into cycling. Last summer, I received a subpoena to testify before a grand jury. Until the moment I entered the courtroom, I hadn’t shared this with anyone.’
‘My testimony lasted six hours. For me, it felt like the Hoover Dam had burst. I opened up; I told the complete truth, and nothing but the truth…’
‘The second reason pertains to the sport I cherish. To genuinely reform, cycling must change.’
Later, in a nod to Russian cyclist Viatcheslav Ekimov, who secured the silver medal behind Hamilton in the time trial at the 2004 Olympics, Armstrong tweeted: ‘Congratulations to @eki-ekimov on his 3rd Olympic Gold Medal!!’
Ekimov responded, ‘thanks Lanse! see if this guy has the guts to return the medal honestly.’
Hamilton’s admission comes nearly a year after another ex-US Postal rider, Floyd Landis, claimed that organized doping was ingrained in the culture of the American team. Landis told ESPN: ‘We just doubled the number of people telling the real story… I think (Hamilton) probably feels liberated.’
by Terence Johns
