Update: “Flash from the past: Tyler Hamilton is new US road cycling champion” — Aug. 30, 2008
American cyclist Tyler Hamilton has been suspended from the Tinkoff Credit Systems team until his involvement with Operacion Puerto is “sorted out.”
Hamilton and teammate Jorg Jaksche already had been dropped from the starting roster of the Giro d'Italia, which begins Saturday, because their names had been associated with Eufemiano Fuentes, the doctor targeted in the Spanish blood-doping probe.
The 36-year-old Hamilton had just returned to professional cycling this year after completing a two-year suspension for blood-doping during the 2004 Vuelta a Espana, a charge he strongly denied.
Tinkoff had not been invited to the Tour de France, so the Giro was the big race of the year for Hamilton to prove himself. Now he's sitting that one out, as well as other races for an indeterminant time.
According to the Tinkoff press release, the decision to omit Hamilton and Jaksche is aimed at …
“… relieving pressure created around the Giro .. and on the team itself after the statements made by all other teams that decided not to allow to start any riders anyhow implicated in Operation Puerto. The management of the team also decided to suspend the two riders from the team until the competent authorities will have finally sorted out all the implication of the riders in Operacion Puerto. After the suspension of Danilo Hondo for the extension of his ban all riders with doping related histories have been suspended from the team that has decided to fully support the decision on the fight against doping promoted by UCI Presisent Mr. Pat McQuaid and race organizers effectively resolve the issue.”
Operacion Puerto broke last year, just before the 2006 Tour de France. I wouldn't expect officials to “resolve the issue” anytime soon.
See more at CyclingNews and VeloNews; Tyler Hamilton website was quiet on the news Wednesday night.
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