Tyler Hamilton American athlete, professional cyclist Date of Birth: 01.03.1971 Country: USA

Biography of Tyler Hamilton

Tyler Hamilton is an American athlete, former professional cyclist, and Olympic gold medalist. He has been involved in several doping scandals throughout his career. Hamilton became a medalist in the 2008 US National Cycling Championship. He developed an interest in cycling during high school and pursued it further at the University of Colorado in Boulder. However, an accident in 1991 ended his skiing career and led him to focus on cycling instead.

In 1994, Hamilton graduated from the university with a bachelor's degree in economics. He turned professional in cycling in 1995 and joined the US Postal Service team for the Tour de France in 1998, 1999, and 2000. As part of the team, Hamilton supported and provided cover for the lead cyclist, Lance Armstrong. In individual races, he acted as a scout, riding at maximum speed to provide a significant lead for Armstrong.

In 2001, Hamilton moved to the CSC team and quickly became its leader. In the 2002 Giro d'Italia, he fractured his shoulder but still managed to finish second. In 2003, Hamilton won the Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Tour de Romandie tournaments. Despite breaking his collarbone in the 2003 Tour de France, he completed the sixteenth stage with a breakthrough sprint and finished fourth. For his performance on that stage, Hamilton received the Coeur de Lion award as the most daring cyclist.

In the 2004 Tour de France, Hamilton raced for the Phonak Hearing Systems team but had to withdraw on the thirteenth stage due to pain from a fall seven stages earlier. This incident further solidified his reputation as a courageous yet unlucky cyclist. In the same year, he won a gold medal at the Olympic Games, but it was also the first time he was accused of doping. Similar accusations came from the organizers of the Vuelta a Espana, resulting in a two-year ban from official competitions.

Hamilton returned to professional cycling in 2007 but faced another ban soon after being accused by members of his team for involvement in the Puerto doping scandal. He made a second comeback in 2009 but was unable to pass the preliminary medical examinations. In April 2009, Hamilton retired from professional cycling for good.