I’ll be honest. I’m a fan of Tyler Hamilton‘s. I know there are a lot out there who lump him in with all the other riders who cheated. If that’s where you’re at, that’s ok. With some years distance from the apex of the blood-doping era, I can see more clearly how insidious the pressure to dope was, and how, in the same position, I would likely have done the same thing.
I like Tyler because I found his eventual confession most compelling and sincere, and because he attempted a Phantom Twin defense, and because doped or not, some of his rides, through horrible injuries, were nothing short of jaw-dropping. The dude is tough. Nothing about enriched blood helps you suffer quite like that.
Maybe it’s not the thing to glorify, but I retain a soft spot for the guy.
Here is a video from the US Anti-Doping Agency that took down the Armstrong cabal and gave cycling a shot (I’m not 100% sure they’ve taken) at writing a different story for themselves. I enjoyed it. USADA has disabled the embed functionality for this video, so you just have to hit this link to see it:
EFFECTS OF PEDS WITH TYLER HAMILTON
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I found this video fascinating. I started paying attention to “Pro” racing around the time Tyler ascended to the Big Leagues. Some of his rides were amazing to watch. At the time I had no idea what was actually going on behind the scenes. It’s disturbing, sad, and disappointing. But I like having more of the story filled in.