Hamilton caught again!

[Zoncolan]

A lifetime ban?
Good riddance!

 

[slowoldman]

Nail in the coffin. What an imbecile.......and cheater. Good riddance.

 

[Stani Kléber]

I don't know if he has it within him but this time, it's time for the truth, the whole truth and the people who supplied him to tell the truth. No more fantasy excuses this time.

Still, it was on the cards, the Rock team rewards known cheats with second chances, hiring dope cheats and placing them under the supervision of "Rudicio" Pevenage. Rock Racing look like total losers now.

 

[Pietro]

Nail in the coffin. What an imbecile.......and cheater. Good riddance.

I have mixed feelings. He was and is a doper but if he truly has a mental illness, that 'perhaps' drove him to this, too bad. Lifetime ban of course but he also needs medical help. Depression is a very ugly disease. Bike racing is minor, minor in comparison.

 

[e-fred]

I look forward to the book...

 

[bikepure]

MIXED FEELINGS- your mad. OUT and stay out. He holds and 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...............


http://www.bikepure.org
Support clean-real riders.

 

[slowoldman]

I have mixed feelings. He was and is a doper but if he truly has a mental illness, that 'perhaps' drove him to this, too bad. Lifetime ban of course but he also needs medical help. Depression is a very ugly disease. Bike racing is minor, minor in comparison.

You know, after reading his story, if it is truth. I feel for him. The cynic in me doesn't wonder if it is yet another built in excuse. As you say, bike racing rates very low in comparison to one's health. He should have quit to be treated, and then come back. Either way, it is time for him to leave and take care of himself, on this we agree.

(Bikepure has put into words the view of my cynical side...thank you.)

 

[BrandonT]

What an ***.

 

[Pietro]

MIXED FEELINGS- you are mad. OUT and stay out. He holds and 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...............


http://www.bikepure.org
Support clean-real riders.

Gee, thought I wrote, 'lifetime ban of course"...yep, I did.' "olympic medal", the symbol of what is clean and pure in our mixed up world'...hello Pollyanna....

 

[BroDeal]

This whole thing sounds pretty bogus. The drug has no performance ehancing effects, so the question is why are the authorities wasting their money testing for this instead of spending it detecting substances that do have enhancing effects? It is like snowboarders getting dinged for smking weed.

This bile against Hamilton plays right into the UCI's hands. The UCI wants to scapegoat a few athletes so they can look the other way at what everyone else is doing. Why is Hamilton any worse than everyone else? Because he was unlucky enough to get caught? He never drove people out of the sport for breaking Omerta like Armstrong did.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

I totally agree that Depression is a very hard nut to crack and should not be taken lightly, as I have a close family member that is suffering from this, but this is Tyler "dumber than a box of rocks" Hamilton we're talking about. Not surprised at all.

 

[smessvader]

I don't know -- I think some of you are being too harsh. Personally, I believe him when he said he wasn't taking it to boost performance (esp. since he has a history of depression and there is little/no proof that DHEA does boost performance). I think he's doing the honorable thing by retiring but think he may be getting a raw deal and the WADA and UCI should really reconsider this case. I'm a lawyer but know that sometimes you need to look at the spirit of a regulation and not just the black-letter law. If it's clear he wasn't taking this to boost performance, then I think it's harsh to come down on him too hard, but like I said, given his history, I think he's doing the right thing by retiring.

 

[Angliru]

Never, ever liked him, dude always creeped me out but for some reason I feel for him. He's obviously a troubled person not that that makes up for what he's contributed to the damaged image of the sport.

I too await his tell all book and I hope he does tell all, especially his time at Postal and CSC. Now would be the ideal time to fess up unless he chooses to air it all in his book. He'll definitely need the dollars the book sales will generate. This is all provided he decides to tell the truth and not continue on with his delusional version of events.

 

[krebs303]

It is a desperate cry for help. By a sick person. who used to be one of my favorites.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Don't know what to believe.

The fact that he rides for Rock Racing isn't an advantage...

But it is an acceptable story.

 

[BroDeal]

Cycling fans are like little trained dogs. The UCI points out the rider they want to villify and the fans chase after the rider, yapping away. Meanwhile McQuaid, Bruyneel, and the protected riders from OP must be laughing their butts off watching the diversion away from what they are doing.

 

[Cloxxki]

I've openly criticized his attitude and actions over the past years.
when something feels wrong, there usually is. Depression would be one reason his wife is so (unreal) supportive of a cheating husband. Not sure any woman will ever love me enought to help me get away from justice. No good one at least.
But depression and a mother diagnosed with cancer, that's just rough. I can totally imagine myself in the situation, and knowingly taking something that I believe will relieve the mental pain. we all know the guy can handle physical pain above average, mental pain must have hurt, let alone when it's spread over many years.
I know I would hurt bad after cheating and lieing about it. No fundraiser or goodwill can make that go away, and we know he tried. Inner peace only comes with honestly.

The silliest reason to be kicked out of the sport. IMO, people who cheat AND lie about it, are not to be allowed back in the sport at all.

Had Tyler been a role model of fair play and attitude, I would now cry out for WADA to tidy up their list, and work more closely with mental patients (amongst others), who don'y intend to cheat, but need or unknowingly take certain substances.

As always, let's hope the sport and younger athletes will learn from Tyler's multiple mistakes. And I mean not about how to condone cheating, or lie about what you know you did wrong.

 

[e-fred]

oh... lest we forget.... Tyler was under the Puerto cloud himself.

 

[Blorpht]

Of course its an acceptable story. Read the story and counter-research DHEA. It is a known fact that he's suffered from depression for a long time. Hope he gets the needed help.

 

[tifosa]

I am not surprised. Not sure if anyone else is surprised either. I can honestly say I'm not disappointed, disillusioned, nor heartbroken. I'm ambivalent.

The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.

Your time is up, Hamilton.

NEXT!

I'm not without sympathy for someone who is depressed. My thoughts on Hamilton's handling of his depression are these: when you are depressed, and you have been under a doctor's care, and that doctor has prescribed Celexa, and then you decide to up the dosage because you're not seeing results, and then you decide to stop taking the medication and go with an over the counter product known to contain a banned substance, and you take the over the counter "vitamin" - YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY INCAPABLE OF MAKING A CLEAR MEDICALLY IMPORTANT DECISION ON YOUR OWN.

I hope he gets some legal, professional, help.

 

[Stani Kléber]

Cycling fans are like little trained dogs. The UCI points out the rider they want to villify and the fans chase after the rider, yapping away.

Hamilton has brought a lot of trouble on himself. He was caught in the past but came up with bold lies to deny the evidence. Even recently he's been pretending to have "bronchitis". This isn't the UCI, it's Hamilton.

If he has real medical issues, he needs real help. Not quack herbal products.

 

[TRDean]

I have never ever liked Hamilton. I don't know why...but never. After reading some of these details however, I feel compassion for his mental state. I really hope he gets some medical help and that we don't hear about some tragic situation in the future. Depression is a very serious condition.

 

[ElChingon]

Well goodbye Tyler, it was fun while it lasted. Get better and move on.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Not a happy ending for him. Hope he can settle into retirement, but that's as far as my sympathy goes.
In case we forget, he brought his problems upon his self.
Comes with the territory; firstly in cheating and secondly, perhaps more importantly, by adopting such dogmatic stance with his denial.

He came back into the sport, unrepentant, still proclaiming his innocence. That illusion is now totally shattered.
From the outset, he was a willing convert to the doping culture.

He stands alone, but should not. Others should also shoulder some of the responsibility and blame.
I refer to those chapters in David Walsh's book, that deal with his history.

Landis? What price his protestations, now?

 

[BroDeal]

From the outset, he was a willing convert to the doping culture.

Willingness? Dope and race in Europe for decent money or race clean and eek out a living on a crappy U.S. domestic team, making $14K a year. Some choice.