Tyler Hamilton positive again

22 comments
By Kirsten Robbins and Shane Stokes | Friday, Apr 17, 2009 4.01pm

Tyler Hamilton's career in cycling has ended following a positive doping control, Cyclingnews learned Friday.

He tested positive for the banned steroid Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) after an out-of-competition control in early February. Hamilton admitted to knowingly taking the substance which was an ingredient in a vitamin supplement he took in an attempt to alleviate depression. He has decided to retire.

"I took a banned substance so I need to take whatever penalty they will give me and move forward," Hamilton said. "Today is about my leaving the sport and to talk about my depression, not the past. I don't want to talk about that anymore, it's about moving forward and taking care of myself.

"My future in the sport is yet to be determined. I'll live with that. I have officially retired right now," Hamilton told Cyclingnews. "Michael [Rock Racing owner Michael Ball -ed.] knows, but my teammates don't know yet. It is a very difficult thing."

Hamilton has already served a two-year suspension following a positive test for a homologous blood transfusion in 2004. A second offense could earn him anywhere between eight years to a lifetime ban according to the World Anti-doping Agency's code. For the 38-year-old Hamilton, a comeback from any sanction would be highly unlikely.

"I woke up knowing that I'd be talking to a few people to make it official, and it really hit home and I am really sad. All careers have to come to an end. I didn't want it to end like this, but life throws curve balls and I am trying to see the reason why this is happening. A lot of people have depression and they need to get treated for it."

Rumours of the positive test began surfacing late last month, but the Olympic gold medallist kept the news quiet. He was due to start the Vuelta a Castilla y León last month, but withdrew citing "bronchitis".

"No one officially knew about it," Hamilton told Cyclingnews. "I took a few weeks to figure out my options. I knew it was the calm before the storm. I needed that time to spend with my family, talk to them about what was going to happen and what I am going through."

Supplement taken for depression, not performance enhancement

Hamilton said he purchased Mitamins Advanced Formula for Depression, an over-the-counter homeopathic anti-depressant supplement that contained DHEA.

"I'm not naive," said Hamilton, who said he was fully aware that DHEA was an ingredient of the supplement and also one of USADA's banned substances. "I know people will be angry with me and depression is something I need to take care of. I didn't do it at the right time or in the right way, and I'm sorry for the negative spotlight," said Hamilton, who has been a member of USADA's out of competition anti-doping control program since 2000.

"What I did was wrong and yes, I did know it [DHEA] was on the list of banned substances. I also knew that USADA could have shown up any day and at any time to test me. But, I was going through a very rough moment and I was desperate. I heard about it and I thought I would try it out as an act of desperation," said Hamilton, but he denied he took the supplement for performance enhancement. "Did I take it for a banned substance? Absolutely not."

Dr. Charles Welch, at Mass General hospital in Boston diagnosed Hamilton with clinical depression in 2003. He was prescribed Celexa as an anti-depressant for the next six years. According to Hamilton, he took amounts double the prescribed dosage for two weeks in January when his mental health declined further after his mother was diagnosed with cancer.

Severe side effects caused him to stop taking the prescribed medication at the end of January. According to Hamilton, his mental health continued to decline without prescription medication during training camp where he purchased Mitamins Advanced Formula for Depression.

Hamilton claims he took the suggested dosage for two days prior to the out-of-competition urine test. USADA's legal limit of DHEA found in the urine is 100ng/mL. Hamilton's urine sample was tested at UCLA where lab technicians found 130 ng/mL of DHEA in his urine sample. Dr. Paul Scott, founder of Scott Analytics, reviewed the testing procedure for the B sample.

According to Scott, the level found in Hamilton's urine was not consistent with him taking large amounts of the drug. However, trying to nail down how much was taken is hard if not impossible. "It could have been a large amount taken several days before the test where only small amounts remained, or it could have been a small amount, the suggested dosage on the bottle, taken the day before the control," Scott told Cyclingnews. "That is a question only Tyler can answer. But, we can't exclude other possibilities to the way it was taken."

DHEA is a natural hormone released by the adrenal glands and the synthetic form is primarily marketed as an anti-aging drug, an anti-depressant and for muscle growth. It is one of the only steroids in the USA not classified as a controlled drug and does not need FDA approval to be sold over the counter. According to Scott, it is banned by the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) and USADA because it is an andro-related substance. Technically, however, DHEA has very little performance-enhancing effects on the body.

"There is no scientific evidence or basis for this steroid to be a performance enhancer," said Scott. "It is fair to suggest that the probability of DHEA having a performance effect on anyone, at any amount taken is inconceivable. There is no good reason to take DHEA, this is a very foolish drug to take because it is readily detectable, but it has no performance enhancements."

Tyler hamilton in action at the 2009 tour of california, his last hurrah.:

Hamilton in action at the 2009 Tour of California, his last hurrah

Hamilton's past transgressions

While an athlete with a clean history might escape sanction or get a reduced suspension based on lack of intent to enhance performance, Hamilton's past doping conviction will likely prevent him from earning leniency in this case.

In 2004, Hamilton returned positive A samples in both the Olympic time trial and the subsequent Vuelta a España, although he was allowed to keep that TT gold medal as the B sample had been incorrectly stored and was unable to be analysed.

However his samples from his stage eight time trial win in the Vuelta on September 11th were tested and confirmed the presence of blood cells from an unspecified donor. His Phonak team-mate Santiago Perez also tested positive for a homologous blood transfusion.

The only other cases of homologous blood transfusions in cycling also involved a pair of teammates; Astana's Alexander Vinokourov and Andrey Kashechkin were suspended in 2007.

Hamilton insisted upon his innocence and fought the suspension, funded partly by donations from fans, He was given a two-year suspension by the United States Anti-Doping Agency on April 18, 2005 . Exactly one month later he appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport but this was dismissed .

That suspension ended in September 2006 and he signed with Tinkoff Credit Systems. He was soon in hot water again when he was linked to the Operación Puerto scandal; on June 26, 2006, the Madrid daily El País alleged that the Spanish civil guard had found evidence that Hamilton had paid over 50,000 USD to Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes for doping products, namely EPO, growth hormones, blood doping and masking agents. Investigators also released details of a fax sent by Fuentes to his wife Haven, using her maiden name Haven Parchinski, listing fees due to the doctor.

Hamilton continued to deny all wrongdoing, but following the release of more information at the end of April 2007 he was suspended soon afterwards by his team. He considered retirement, then eventually returned to competition in 2008 with Rock Racing. Although he and other Operación Puerto-linked riders were blocked from riding the Tour of California in 2008, he won the 2.HC Tour of Qinghai Lake in China last July and then took the US National road race championships in August.

This season, Hamilton has competed in both the Tour of California and the Vuelta Mexico Telmex. He was only 95th overall in California but took second in the mountains classification. He was then 45th in Mexico and fifth on stage seven; Rock Racing won the team classification in the 2.2 race.

For more information on this story, visit Cyclingnews.com.

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User Comments

There are 22 comments on this post

Showing 1 - 22 of 22 comments

  • Can't say I'd be sad to see the back of him to be honest - cycling's had enough of cheats and liars. Rock Racing should do one as well.

  • He's a dishonest cheat and cycling will be well rid of him. In fact they should never have let him back in after the farcical efforts he made to try and convince people he was innocent the first time round.

  • Why, why, WHY is it that cycling and the riders are always massively over-shadowed by doping and the allegations that go with it. If its your job, your lively-hood, and your passion, why cheat and risk throwing it all away??

    Bloody idiots. Be glad to see the cheaters / dopers / whatever you want to call them, gone, and out the sport, for good.

    But ONLY if the governing body is 100% sure that they are doping. No controversies overshadowing it all... Again...

  • "end of the road for us champion"

    i think if you replaced the word 'champion' with the word doper that would be more appropriate

  • Good riddance. Hopefully Michael Ball will follow suit.

  • any chance of me having his place in rock racing gorra say they got the best kit especially the new anarchy line !!

  • Anyone remember who got the silver medal in the Olympics?

  • OUT and stay out. He holds an olympic medal, the symbol of what is clean and true in our mixed up world. and he spits on the symbolism and honour of real athletes. OUT

    the whispers have been about for 6 weeks about this. When a rider tests positive: the media and his cycling federation should be informed together, the same day. Rock racings lurid director rudy, who destroyed Ulrich, Shumacher and Riis said last month that Tyler was not racing due to flu. More lies.

    Delighted as it spells the end to ROCK Racings dope team,no one will sponsor Ball's fallen heros as it proved once a doper...............

    www.bikepure.org

    Support clean-real riders.

    Open letter to Mr. Pat Mc Quaid, President of the UCI.

    Firstly, may I congratulate you on the efforts to rid our wonderful

    sport of the cheats and their suppliers who continue to bring cycling into disrepute.

    With major scientific advances in drug-testing procedures, coupled with the

    mainstream global desire for a new start, we can visualize an era of

    clean, real cycle sport.

    Professional Cycling has undergone frequent scandals from the use of performance enhancing products; it is stigmatized as being dirty and therefore

    we must take the lead, for all sports, in the prevention of this in

    the future.

    BikePure is an umbrella group of fans, riders, media and the cycle to protect the integrity and the potential of cycle sport. Through the declarations of thousands of our members, we have compiled a list of recommendations,

    which we believe would improve the efficiency of the testing system by creating clarity and restoring trust within the doping agencies.

    Bike Pure is the voice of the masses and we feel that the governing

    bodies should take on board the feelings and wishes of the governed. We fully understand you have a hard and complex job and wish to assist in every possible way. With 5 current UCI world champions and an affiliate base from over 50 countries, BikePure's commitment and voice is steadfast and positive.

    Our proposals to assist with the clean up of cycling:

    1. Introduction and immediate implementation of a blanked, fixed four-year ban from competition for any doping offence.

    2. Introduction of life bans for anyone caught doping for the second time.

    3. Life bans for management and team personnel working with cyclists to

    Assist doping practices.

    4. Strict adherence to the rulebook and a time limit of 4 weeks to be set

    from sample taken to test result, inclusive of ruling.

    5. Unification of all countries testing authorities under the UCI banner,

    meaning that any doping infringements in a single country will have automatic

    effect globally.

    6. A standardization of testing procedures under WADA, to be enforced in

    each area.

    7. Fully open results of the Bio-Passport program online and listed

    infringement penalties.

    We hope this meets with your approval and we look forward to a response in

    the near future.

    www.bikepure.org

    Support clean/real riders

  • Wouldn't it be nice if he also admitted to the transfusions and other transgressions. His 'honesty' about this supplement 'for depression' is very hollow sounding.

  • He's given our sport a bad name for too long, how can we ever have a drug free sport when riders like him do it time and time again. It should be two strikes and your out, and that includes any competition pro or not !!

  • good riddance, bad rubbish

  • Suprise suprise who would have thought it......... Rock Racing a team fueled on positive tests more dopers than in Amsterdam.

  • Mauro Finetto of the CSF Group - Navigare team won the sixth stage of the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey today. A fantastic win for the young Italian. A career highlight being first home in a 4-hour stage infected with side winds.

    The sad thing no one will ever know. Baring his family and a few locals, the cycling world is ignorant to his victory. It just so happens that Tyler chose this particular Friday to tell the world that, once a cheat always a cheat.

    The whispers have been about for six weeks about Tyler’s positive test result for steroids. Tyler, the convicted doper, returned to cycling after a two-year ban and once again swooned the hearts of the American nation. At the Tour of California there was a small kid in a US champion’s jersey with Hamilton picture across the front .He was waving a flag in awe of the great race.

    It took 6 weeks for Tyler to admit his positive test;

    6 weeks of his team covering up for his lack of race starts with lies of flu;

    6 weeks of the US anti doping agency knowing and saying nothing.

    A further 6 weeks of that kid being proud of his hero and his shirt before another heartbreak

    Mauro Finetto win will be lost in the back pages of cycling magazines. Hamilton’s positive test result was exposed to the world on the inside cover of the NY Times. More damaging coverage for cycling. Yet again the image of the sport lies in ruins due to the weak, selfish, cheating of a weak, selfish rider.

    Nothing will give Mauro Finetto the publicity he deserves, Nothing will convince that kid that supporting a champion cyclist is a secure move.

    All convicted dopers should be not only be banned for life from competition but also banned from working within cycling and polluting yet another generation. Tyler's Olympic medal should be returned. His US champion’s jersey should be handed to Garmin-Chipotle's Blake Caldwell who finished second to Hamilton last August and he should be forgotten. No talked about, dismissed lest the damage and media coverage be redirected against our sport more.

    I long for the day when cycling results are on the inside cover of the NY times, doping test results are open and efficient and that kid will want to wear his favorite shirt to bed again.

    Well done Mauro

    www.bikepure.org

    Support clean-real riders.

  • I think that a lot the above people would give him the electric chair.

    Don't forget that he's the one taking chances with his health and we're the one's just watching for our mild entertainment. Anyone would think he was the Devil himself.

    Ok, he did drugs but so do many of us. He cheated, but so do us all at work and play.

    I get sick of the above comments of people who throw stones in Glass Houses.

    None of us are 100% pure so let Tyler go and get over his problems.

    I liked the guy despite his lies.

    Getting caught is a huge price to pay. Vandenbrouke, Pantani, Hamilton and others have been hounded; some to suicide and others to a life of depression.

    If you can't say anything constructive then let it go. Everyone knows he has done wrong and so does he. Let him go quietly.

    -Jerry

  • I agree with Jerry. People forget that he was one of the ballsiest riders ever, some of the suffer fests this guy went through would have the critics above rolling up in a ball and crying for mummy. The problem with the whole question is that cycling is a very aesthetic sport, so any conduct that isn't 100% clean is seen as an intolerable stain, spoils the dream, however unrealistic it may be.

  • It's a shame he voluntarily decided to retire, he should have been given a LIFE BAN the previous time he was caught. I used to love watching him ride, especially with that broken collarbone a few years ago. Brave man. Now just a sad wanker.

  • Get real people

  • Coinneach - Ekimov won the silver, Julich the bronze. What was your point?

    Really sad about Tyler - he was the sort of rider we all wanted to be clean. But from the reports the evidence against him seems pretty damning. Hope the guy gets his depression sorted out, but cycling really could do without guys like him.

  • Have any of you suffered from clinical depression while your Mum has been diagnosed with cancer? Probably not. I have and if you had, then you may be more sympathetic to someone who to a homeopathic depression remedy that has a steroid with no proven performance enhancement. That is far from cheating, as so many of you self-righteous people are so quick to assume.

  • He was a paid professional rider. Wether he took the supplement and gained any benefit is irrelevant. He took it, knew it broke the rules of his employment and of his sport. Depression does not remove his obligations, or his responsibilities (unless at the most severe degree).

    He could have stepped aside from sport and taken whatever treatments he wished, returning when fit, well and clean. He would have had great respect and sympathy fro doing this.

    The big issue I have is not sympathy, but believability. Does he still claim to be be genetic chimaera and for this to be the reason for his his apparent blood transfusion results?

  • I am a resident of Boulder, CO and member of the CU Cycling team. I have ridden with Tyler on several group rides. He is one of the friendliest cyclists you could ever meet. Suffering from depression is a serious problem and it's sad to see something like this happen to Tyler. He served his time for the first offense and it was nice to see him back in the peleton. Sad to see his career go back in the pisser like this over something you can buy at many grocery stores. I wish Tyler the best of luck in his recovery.

  • My understanding is that DHEA is banned because of the style of compound that it is rather than because it has any performace effect, direct or indirect. I also understand that Hamilton took it as part of and OTC compound knowing that it contained DHEA and knowing that DHEA was banned and (one presumes) knowing that he would likely be tested.

    Having had a brief brush with depression myself, I can attest that the worst thing about it (cause or symptom, it's very chicken/egg) is the feeling (nay knowledge) that you are not in control of your own situation and so unable to affect your own downward spiral.

    Given the above, it is totally believable that Hamilton may have actually cooked up this situation intentionally, not having the wherewithall to quit cycling himself (facing team family etc) so took an action that would remove the decision from his hands. Sounds twisted I know but it's a sight better than ending up taking an overdose or a lead pellet further down the line.

    I'm sad to lose another great cyclist and I'm personally depressed that I can't invest in the TDF anymore for fear that one (or more) of the first 3 will be pulled / sacked / DQd from the race on day 17, or worse ... after the end, but I think this is probably for the best for Hamilton.

    I'd really really really like a light at the end of the tunnel sometime soon please.

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