Velonews is reporting (ESPN’s version) that Tyler Hamilton’s two year suspension due to blood doping has been upheld by CAS. According to ESPN, the suspension will expire in April 2007 when Hamilton is 36; however, Velonews is reporting that he will not be eligible to ride for a ProTour team until Sep. 2008. Apparently, the ProTour doubles the suspension time.
Personally, I am extremely disappointed. I would have liked to have had the opportunity to have watched him ride in some of his best cycling years. His professed innocence is irrelevant; he got charged and suspended. His career is effectively over along with all the good things that might have come from the Tyler Hamilton Foundation. In the end, none of us are better off.
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Actually, here’s how it works.
Because the original suspension date (April ‘05) was after the ProTour had been instituted, the new ProTour laws would have applied, meaning suspension ends April ‘07 and PT team ban ends April ‘09.
The CAS changed his suspension date to when he accepted a provisional suspension (September ‘04) which is standard procedure in the cycling doping world. Because ProTour laws were not enacted at that time (only proposed), the additional 2-year ProTour team ban doesn’t apply (e.g. ex post facto). So, he’s elligible to race Worlds this fall (though it’s not a PT event) and in the spring he’ll be free to ride for a PT team, should he find one to offer him a contract. Same deal with Millar – he’s signed with Saunier Duval even though his suspension goes right up until days before the Tour starts.
My money is that he’ll be back at Phonak. Seen evidence of him showing up at training rides in Boulder still in Phonak kit, even recently, so apparently they still
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Tyler Hamilton suspension upheld…
Tyler Hamilton lost his final appeal today when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected Tyler Hamilton’s arguments that his positive drug tests could have resulted from legitimate reasons….