Times article on Tyler Hamilton, Part 1

[Onno]

There are some interesting nuances in this article, from today's Times.
I've put it in two posts, because it's too long for one.

Onno

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

November 14, 2004
In Trying to Save Medal and Tour de France Hopes, Hamilton Faces Uphill Course
By JULIET MACUR

From the living room of his Colorado dream house, Tyler Hamilton sees miles of rolling hills covered with evergreens. In the distance, snow-capped mountains form the Continental Divide. The sky is muted orange, promising another magnificent sunset.

Behind him, around the neck of a grinning carved wood moose, hangs the Olympic gold medal he won in the cycling time trial at the Athens Games. On the walls are photographs of his golden retriever, Tugboat, who died in July and whose tag Hamilton wore inside his helmet on that winning ride. Next to the couch, a wood box holds Tugboat's ashes, a long lock of his pale tail curling around the lid.

Cycling jerseys stitched for the Swiss team built for Hamilton to win the Tour de France sit neatly stacked in the laundry room. Nine custom bicycles line the walls of his garage.

When he turns away from the windows, he frowns. "This is the lowest point of my whole life," he says. "I could lose all of this."

Hamilton, the American considered the heir apparent to Lance Armstrong, learned in September that he had tested positive for endurance-boosting blood transfusions at the Olympics and at the Vuelta a España.

At 33, just as he seemed ready to claim center stage, Hamilton is facing a two-year suspension from competition. His lawyers expect the United States Anti-Doping Agency, which has jurisdiction over the case, to make a formal charge against him soon, and they anticipate going to arbitration in January.

Hamilton's goal of winning the 2005 Tour de France is slipping away. He stands a good chance of missing the Tour, a race Armstrong has won six consecutive times but is expected to skip.

Anti-doping experts involved in the case say Hamilton is guilty, and Olympic officials are not convinced of his innocence. That keeps Hamilton and his wife, Haven, awake at night. They read arcane scientific data on blood doping to learn what they will be up against when he presents his case. If he loses, he plans to go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the highest court of international athletics.

He has a lot at stake. His Swiss team, Phonak, pays him a high-six-figure salary. He also has endorsement deals with companies like Nike, Clif Bar and Oakley, putting his yearly income well above $1 million.

Now sponsors are wary. Some fellow competitors are retreating. And recently, a World Anti-Doping Agency spokesman said Hamilton had kept his Olympic medal only because of a laboratory error. "After the Olympics, my life was really secure, my career was really on track because the gold medal can bring you a lot, you know?" Hamilton says. "Now my life is on hold."

Hamilton, a sliver of a man at 5 feet 8 inches and 130 pounds, makes eye contact as he says: "I would be happier without everything I have, with nothing, if I could just clear my name. If I had to, I'd give up everything, down to my last penny, to have my name back."

A Test Failed

Hamilton, the first American to win a road racing Olympic gold in 20 years, left Athens in late August and headed for the Vuelta a España. On Sept. 11, he won an individual time trial. Five nights later, he rose from a massage table to be met by Alvaro Pino, the director of his Phonak team.

"You've been accused of transfusing blood from a different person," in the Vuelta, Hamilton said Pino told him.

Homologous blood doping, the practice of transfusing another person's blood to increase the amount of oxygen-carrying red blood cells, has been against the rules in cycling since the late 1980's. It improves athletes' endurance but can spread disease and even cause death.

Hamilton, the first athlete with a positive result since the test's introduction this year, said he was stunned. His requests for additional screening and a DNA test were denied. "This can't be right," he said he told Pino. "Stay calm. We'll work this out, don't worry."

Hamilton dropped out of the Vuelta that day and headed to his condominium in Girona, Spain. Haven, his wife, was in Massachusetts with her family. Tugboat was gone. He opened the door to an empty, painful feeling.

Hamilton is known for coping with pain. A year after leaving his job as Armstrong's lieutenant on the United States Postal Service team, Hamilton raced the 2002 Giro d'Italia despite a broken shoulder, grinding 11 teeth to their nerves. In the 2003 Tour de France, he broke his collarbone early but finished fourth. During the sixth stage of this year's Tour, Hamilton flew over his handlebars and landed on his back. But he did not drop out of the race until the 13th stage, three days after the cancer-stricken Tugboat was euthanized.

But that night in Spain, the pain sickened him. On the Internet, he researched homologous blood doping. Hamilton said he was restless, the sleeping pill from the team's doctor useless. His mind raced. Was there a mix-up with blood samples? Were Europeans out to get an American?

"We felt like all the air had rushed out of our lungs," Haven, 35, said.

The situation worsened two days later, he said, when he learned that a blood sample at the Olympics had also shown evidence of a transfusion.

During the next few days, Hamilton twice drove to Switzerland, first for Phonak's news conference on his test results, then to spend two days in a lab watching scientists test his second, or B, samples from the Vuelta and the Olympics. "It was so important to me to see the procedure," he says. "They had my life in that vial."

The Olympics and professional cycling use the same testing procedures. Each blood sample is divided. If the A sample is positive, the B is tested to confirm the initial result. Without confirmation, the entire test is deemed negative.

On Aug. 22, scientists at the Olympic drug-testing laboratory marked Hamilton's A sample negative but labeled it suspicious for a blood transfusion. On the recommendation of external experts called in to examine the results, the I.O.C. declared Hamilton's A sample positive on Sept. 16, nearly a month after he won the gold medal. By then, the I.O.C. knew that a lab technician had frozen Hamilton's B sample, leaving too few red blood cells to analyze. On Sept. 23, the Olympic B sample was called inconclusive, so Hamilton kept his medal, but the B sample from the Vuelta came out positive.

"It's obvious that the lab there had no idea what they were doing, and it makes you question the entire drug-testing process," Hamilton said. "But it's too late for me. I'm just their guinea pig. They already ruined my life because of their mistakes."

Drug testing and drug scandals have long played a part in international cycling. In 1967, a rider died during the Tour de France, and an autopsy revealed amphetamines in his blood. Random urine screenings began in 1968, and random blood testing began about four years ago.

In the 1998 Tour de France, the top-ranked Festina team was expelled amid a doping investigation. This year, David Millar was stripped of his 2003 world championship and suspended for using erythropoietin, EPO, a synthetic red-blood-cell booster.

Also this year, Hamilton's teammate Oscar Camenzind was suspended for EPO use; another teammate, Santiago Perez, tested positive for traces of another person's blood on Oct. 27. Still, Hamilton insists that cycling "is not a dirty sport" and that the blood-doping test is faulty.

But Michael Ashenden, an Australian physiologist and head researcher on a team of scientists who this year developed the test for homologous blood doping, said there was no doubt of its reliability. The World Anti-Doping Agency approved the test for the Athens Games. The International Cycling Union began using it at this summer's Tour de France.

The original test, Ashenden said, has been used for more than a decade to determine if there is hemorrhaging between a fetus and a mother with an incompatible blood type.

"The knee-jerk reaction of a team that is faced with a sanction is that the test is new, so it's problematic," Ashenden said. "But you just don't use a test a million times and then it suddenly doesn't work. This isn't a new test. It just hasn't been used in sports for very long."

He added: "It's too bad that an athlete very seldom has the moral courage to admit: 'Yes, I did this. I'm guilty.' "

Hamilton vows he's innocent. His wife said: "I want to scream it from the rooftops and say Tyler is innocent. But we have to be methodical now, like we're doing a really hard crossword puzzle."

[Onno]

On the Offense

Days after Hamilton's B test results were announced, Haven flew to Spain. They decided he should honor his commitments.

"I'm not going to stay locked up in my house because of this," Hamilton said. "I have nothing to hide."

He spent eight days in the Pyrenees filming an IMAX movie about the brain's reaction to emotions and pain, to be released next fall. Next, he flew to Las Vegas for the Interbike trade show, beginning the journey to salvage his reputation. He said his heart beat quickly as he arrived, the Strip aglow, thousands of people in the tight-knit biking world about to see him for the first time since his positive tests.

The Interbike show, North America's largest cycling trade show, covered 660,000 square feet in the Sands Expo and Convention Center. Amid a maze of booths with $5,000 bikes, $25 socks, energy bars, heart- rate monitors and hydration backpacks was Tyler Hamilton, considered the nicest, most polite person in cycling.

Hamilton, who has boyish looks and a freckled, tan face, walked through the doors, nervous and blushing slightly. But at 15 appearances over two days, he was treated like an Olympic champion. People waited hours for his autograph, asked for photos, shook hands. Some offered condolences for Tugboat.

One of his sponsors, Bell Helmets, gave away "I Believe Tyler" buttons. One man wearing that button proudly was Andy Rihs, the chairman of Phonak, a Swiss hearing aid company, and the boss of Hamilton's team. Rihs, who suspended Hamilton with pay, said he had spent $800,000 on Hamilton's defense, hiring five scientists to study the blood-doping test and its validity.

"We wanted a clear second opinion because this new test is a little black box with a thousand questions in it," Rihs said.

One American cyclist at the show, Bobby Julich, had other questions. Julich had roomed with Hamilton in Athens and won the bronze medal in the time trial. He said the suspicions about Hamilton "go against everything I've ever known from the guy." But, he added: "The rest of us at the Olympics passed the test. Why didn't he?"

Julich took a deep breath.

"I'm sick of people who cheat, sick of cleaning up their mess and trying to explain it," he said.

Then, a pause.

"There is heavy evidence against him," he said. "With that much evidence, I don't know how he's going to get out of it."

Facing His Public

After the embrace at Interbike, Hamilton prepared for two weeks of more difficult appearances at events for the Tyler Hamilton Foundation, which raises money for multiple sclerosis patients and for youth cycling. He started the foundation this year, modeling it after Armstrong's cancer foundation.

At his first stop, in a 437-seat San Francisco theater, 100 people heard him speak. When Hamilton's friend Chris Davenport, an extreme skier who served as emcee, said, "Tyler is innocent," most of the audience applauded.

But one man sat silent, arms tightly crossed, a disgusted look on his face as Hamilton's Olympic gold medal was passed around. He was Dr. Prentice Steffen, who had worked with Hamilton and the United States Postal Service team.

In the book "L.A. Confidential, the Secrets of Lance Armstrong," Steffen said Hamilton had been present when another rider, Marty Jemison, hinted that performance-enhancing drugs could help the team.

Steffen said he had refused the request and that his contract with the team was not renewed.

"If he had the guts to show up in my town and talk, I needed to be there," Steffen said of Hamilton. "I knew this would happen. After the news got out that he tested positive, I got lots of calls and e-mails, people saying, 'Yeah, Prentice wins!' "

Hamilton responded, "He's just mad that he got fired."

From San Francisco, Hamilton and his wife returned to their refuge, their gray slate house high above Boulder, the home of the University of Colorado. The 4,200-square-foot home is appointed with a decorator's touch: animal-skin throw rugs, paintings from Spain, Haven's grand piano.

It is far removed from the hubbub of European cycling, and near friends and endless bike trails, one of which leads to the door.

Because the Hamiltons are apart 200 days a year while he trains and races, their time together is precious. But now, they worry that the stress will crack their tight bond. She says they argue more. He says their relationship is now "all business."

Haven Parchinski was working at an advertising agency in Boston when she met Hamilton at a cycling race in 1996. Married to Tyler for six years, she now she has another job: helping her husband restore his reputation. These days, she is answering the phone, returning his calls and rerecording their voice mail message in her voice. "I want to protect him," she says.

For a distraction, they are thinking about replacing Tugboat. Hamilton wants two golden retrievers. His wife agrees.

"It's better, I think, to get two because they'll always have each other," she says, looking him in the eye.

The next night, the Hamiltons took the stage for another foundation talk, for about 300 people at the University of Colorado. He raced on its ski team until he broke two vertebrae in a mountain biking accident. Then he focused on cycling and became an even bigger name in town.

When Hamilton was introduced, his father, Bill, was the first to leap to his feet. "We believe in you, Tyler!" he shouted.

The next morning, Hamilton and his father and brother - who flew in from Marblehead, Mass. - rolled into a parking lot on bikes for a charity ride. Counting friends, relatives and foundation workers, the ride attracted 40 people. Two weeks before, Armstrong's Ride for the Roses, a cancer fund-raiser in Austin, Tex., drew 6,500.

The Yellow Jersey

In his bright living room, Hamilton cradles his Olympic gold medal in his hands. He says he lived a dream to feel it against his chest, to hear "The Star-Spangled Banner," to be an Olympic champion. Not even Armstrong achieved that.

"Cool, huh?" Hamilton says.

But Dr. Jacques Rogge, the International Olympic Committee president, and **** Pound, the chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency, have suggested Hamilton does not deserve the medal. And two national Olympic committees have filed protests to strip Hamilton of it.

The Russian committee has asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport to award it to Vyacheslav Ekimov, who finished second in the time trial. The Australian committee has asked that Michael Rogers, who finished fourth, receive the bronze.

That only strengthens Hamilton's resolve. "I earned it fair and square, and there is not a chance that someone else is going to get it," he says of the gold. "I guarantee it."

An angry yet uncertain Hamilton says: "I'm a nice person and I try to forgive people, but not this time, not with this. I've lost a lot of trust in people because they have backed off from me when I needed them the most. When my name is cleared, I'm going to remember those people. They'd better not come crawling back to me when this is all over."

Some friends have not left. Armstrong sent an encouraging e-mail message. Davenport has set up www.believetyler.org, which collects donations on the Web for Hamilton's defense. Just as an injury led him away from skiing and toward cycling, this ordeal may lead Hamilton to another phase of his life. He talks about organizing a union to promote cyclists' rights, including approval of drug-testing procedures.

Whatever may happen, Hamilton has begun training for next season. Pedaling through each workout, he says, he thinks of one thing. Not of his uncertain future. Not of his appeal. Not even of his beloved Tugboat.

He thinks of the Tour de France.

He imagines himself wearing the leader's yellow jersey as he cruises down the Champs-Élysées, finally vindicated.

Not a cheater, but a champion.

"Even if I'm suspended for two years, I'll come back just to show those people who doubted me that they were wrong," he says. "I would come back and win the Tour de France, for my sport, for me, for everyone who has believed in me."



Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company | Home | Privacy Policy | Search | Corrections | RSS | Help | Back to Top

[shaq-d]

the more he talks, the more websites that posts up, he more his wife talks, the less i believe him. in my experience those who are innocent say it once, and rarely feel the need to say it again: they know themselves to be innocent and that's all that counts. but those who feel the need to shout it out from the rooftops...

not to mention, challenging two separate tests that are weeks/months apart and used medically tons of times borders on the ridiculous.

sd

[Elefantino]

I have been a fan of Tyler's, a supporter, and considered my meeting him at last year's Tour to be a highlight.

And yet I have this sick feeling, which the interesting NYT article only exacerbates. Why is the Phonak boss railing against a "new test"? It isn't a new test. It's been around a long time.

I keep playing mental volleyball with it. I can't think he's innocent. I don't want to think he's guilty.

Damn. What a waste. And it sounds like his marriage is on the rocks, too.

Damn.

[Andreu]

I don't think this article helps his case.

Particularly, Julich's quote:

"The rest of us at the Olympics passed the test. Why didn't he?"

Julich took a deep breath.

"I'm sick of people who cheat, sick of cleaning up their mess and trying to explain it," he said.

Then, a pause.

"There is heavy evidence against him," he said. "With that much evidence, I don't know how he's going to get out of it."

A

[slowgoing]

I hope they give Tyler the testing protocol so he has a fair chance to defend himself. They may not, however, because that may provide a basis for others to use blood that avoids testing positive according to that protocol, although there is nothing to prevent the authorities from periodically changing the protocol (even though they may not want to). It's a balancing test for the authorities: compromise the test somewhat by disclosing the current protocol but let those testing positive fully defend themselves by challenging the results, or keep the protocol a secret and thereby prevent anyone testing positive from being able to fully defend themselves. I will have a lot more confidence in the test if the authorities come clean and give Tyler the chance to redeem himself. Otherwise, in my mind, his inevitable suspension/ban raises more questions about the governing authorities than answers about Tyler.

And while this may in principle be an old test, it could be the first time it has been applied using these protocols. I don't know enough about this technology, but it could be that the test is less accurate or precise if certain protocols are used as compared to others, in which case the fact that the test has been used for years may be of limited practical value.

Of course, bike racing is a privlege, not a right, so you either accept the rules established by the authorities or you don't race.

[jerk]

the jerk says if you play with the bull sometimes you get the horns. tough tyler...shut up and deal with it. you're making virenque look a goddamm stoic.

[slowgoing]

yes, but some people get the horns even though they weren't playing with the bull, so your assumption that anyone who gets the horns was playing with the bull puts the cart before the horse.

[Johny]

On the Internet, he researched homologous blood doping.


He should have done some research before he "used" other people's blood... :)

The test, in a sense, is new (however, nothing is really new in terms of concepts and techniques). Since transfused red blood cells take up a relatively small part in the recipient's whole blood, scientists need some sensitive technique to detect these exogenous blood cells. To do so, they use a technique called the FACS (fluorescent-activated cell sorting), which was developed many years ago and has been routinely used by immunologists. In this case, scientists label the cells with fluorescence-cojugated antibodies, which can detect molecules on the surface of the cells that may be of two different types between two different people. For example, in the case of heterologous blood transfusion, there may be two different types of cells sorted out by the cell sorting machine (flow cytometers).

[jerk]

yes, but some people get the horns even though they weren't playing with the bull, so your assumption that anyone who gets the horns was playing with the bull puts the cart before the horse.


like who?

[BumbleBeeDave]

At the risk of seeming like I am grinding my pro-Tyler axe to a fine edge, here goes . . .

This story is complete--as far as it goes, which is not far enough. It’s unfortunate Tyler has no right under this procedure to a reasonably speedy trial, because when there is a long time gap during the discovery phase feelings on both sides of the issue begin to fester.

Some here say Tyler is proclaiming his innocence just a bit too much, but when a celebrity like this in ANY arena becomes the center of media interest, the mere refusal to submit to interviews does not help the situation, and often hurts more. As a journalist I can assure you that when a local figure here in our circulation area is accused of something serious and declines an interview, that does not mean we don’t write a story. It just means we go to other sources, include the phrase, “Tyler Hamilton declined repeated requests for an interview,” and publish the story anyway. Our legal butts are covered because, after all, we DID ask. But the impression the reader gets is inevitably, “Hmmm, wonder what he’s hiding?” The NY Times works the same way. They would have written this story anyway, even without Tyler’s cooperation. In fact, the “suspect’s” refusal to comment usually makes the editor MORE determined to get a story out of it because he becomes more sure they must be hiding something.

And after consenting to an interview because it’s the least harmful thing to do, public relations wise, what exactly do you EXPECT him to say? Of COURSE he’s going to protest his innocence! And this scenario will play out the same in the NY Times, The Times of London, The International Herald Tribune, ProCycling, Sports Illustrated, Cycle Sport, VeloNews, etc., etc., ad nauseum . . .

Several other points . . .

--The test’s creator gives some very interesting quotes . . . Here’s the best: “ But Michael Ashenden, an Australian physiologist and head researcher on a team of scientists who this year developed the test for homologous blood doping, said there was no doubt of its reliability. The World Anti-Doping Agency approved the test for the Athens Games. The International Cycling Union began using it at this summer's Tour de France.

The original test, Ashenden said, has been used for more than a decade to determine if there is hemorrhaging between a fetus and a mother with an incompatible blood type.“

Aside from the fact that this guy is also saying exactly what you would expect him to--defending his test--he says the original test has “been used for more than a decade” and yet the story calls him the leader of “ . . . a team of scientists who THIS YEAR developed the test . . . “

Huh? You can’t have it both ways. Numerous other accounts I have seen of this test indicate that it IS a new test developed out of the old established test, and therefore it still needs to have a clinical record of reliability established, which has or has not been done, depending on which side you believe.

--Also note that the story refers to additional screening and DNA testing which Tyler requested, and which WAS DENIED. The IOC and UCI have a clear vested interest in seeing any accused athlete found guilty, because to admit error or even the possibility of error wounds their pride and their reputation. Fair and equitable process my ***! . . .

--Several recent media accounts (if they are to be believed) refer to extreme problems Tyler’s attorneys are having getting any kind of information from IOC or UCI about the testing records. They refuse to release any of the lab data or records.

--The story also points out the incompetence of the IOC test lab, and how well Tyler is aware of it . . . "It's obvious that the lab there had no idea what they were doing, and it makes you question the entire drug-testing process," Hamilton said. "But it's too late for me. I'm just their guinea pig. They already ruined my life because of their mistakes."“ . . . Yep. They sure have.

--Ashenden, the drug researcher, skirts the ragged edge of slander, saying . . . “He added: "It's too bad that an athlete very seldom has the moral courage to admit: 'Yes, I did this. I'm guilty.' " “ . . . It’s a shame HE doesn’t have the moral courage to actual accuse Tyler of lacking it. Very slick . . .

When all is said and done, this story simply confirms what others already have . . . There are numerous factions that all have a vested interest in seeing him found guilty. But only Tyler really has a vested interest in proving his own innocence. His sponsors can find new athlete endorsers. His employer can find new riders. But only HE has no choice.

So give the guy a F***ing break and wait to see what happens in January.

BBDave

[bulliedawg]

I hate to be this way, but I think it's time for us to admit that most of the sports we enjoy are corrupt, or at least come with plenty of moral ambiguities. I've come to that conclusion by covering sports for a long time, and being close to several sports programs.

Athletes are on performance enhancing drugs, amateur and collegiate athletes are on the take and are having their school work done for them. Sports are no different than any other high-risk, big money ventures. If you want to participate on the level where the highest benefit exists, you have to be willing to get dirty. It's not unlike being in the mafia. The professional and financial rewards are huge, if you are willing to live with the damage to your soul. These men have all made the choice to let God be the judge.

There's not a single D-I college football player or basketball player who's not receiving some sort of benefit. There's not a single NBA player who doesn't take steroids, and/or speed, and pot smoking culture is epidemic. Same for the NFL.

Nonetheless. I watch them all with relish (I don't watch the NBA.), acknowledging the entire time that I'm part of the problem.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . you thought Phonak’s backing Tyler to be great, here’s the lead of an item from today’s VeloNews website reprinted from Agence France Press . . .

<<<The Swiss team Phonak is not among a list of 19 teams receiving a "favorable sanction" to participate in the UCI's 2005 Pro Tour, sources have told Agence France Presse.

Phonak was the only one of 20 teams presented to the UCI to be overlooked by the organization's licenses commission. The UCI is expected to announce which teams will be granted Pro Tour licenses early in December.>>

If it comes down to backing Tyler or getting into the Pro Tour, I wonder who will come out on the short end? . . .

The UCI is playing VERY dirty, using this method to pressure Phonak. IMHO, at least . . . Just confirmation in my mind that the UCI will do just about anything to win this and avoid admitting to the possibility their test may be unreliable . . .

BBDave

[WickedWheels]

We all know how unreasonable (if not corrupt) UCI and other sports-governing bodies can be. It is entirely possible, and more likely than not, that attempts to prove his innocence are being blocked.

That being said... assuming that none of the "facts" or statements coming directly from either side of the argument are reliable... we should look at other variables in this scandal, like character, trust and history.

Tyler always been known as a straight shooter. His character was praised by all the people and all the magazines that are now bashing him. Did his character simply change all of a sudden?

All the people that know him best are supporting him. They are not staying quiet about it, which would be the case if they didn't believe him. I personally know (and repect) Steve Pucci--someone who has known Tyler very well. This guy knows Tyler better than most of his teammates ever did and he's supporting Tyler. I trust Pucci and Pucci trusts Tyler. That's enough for me and if you knew Steve, that would be enough for you too.

Assume, just for a minute, that the testing is faulty. How would you expect the "experts" to react? Do you think that they would ever admit the possiblity of a faulty test? Would it be good for UCI to admit this? Isn't it possible that they would try to block the attempts to prove that the test is faulty! Isn't that likely?

It is not normal for someone accused of doping to be this vocal about his innocence. Yet it is entirely normal for a governing body (sports or otherwise) to cover up their own mistakes at someone else's expense, rather than admitting them.

I support Tyler. I hope you do too.

[Johny]

Also note that the story refers to additional screening and DNA testing which Tyler requested, and which WAS DENIED.

DNA test? Tyler needs to do more research on the internet...There is no DNA in the red blood cells...During blood cell development, RBCs lose nucleus and mitochondria, which contain DNA.

Dave, I understand your frustration but it is not like everything Tyler is requesting is legitimate.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . but it’s yet another instance where this article may not be totally accurate. I don’t imagine the NYT has a medical doctor on their copy desk or they would have picked that up and asked the writer for clarification.

I’m also trying to keep in mind that if I were suddenly accused of this then I might also react more out of emotion than knowledge. I doubt that Tyler knew up from down as far as blood science is concerned before he was accused.

BBDave

[Russell]

I hate to be this way, but I think it's time for us to admit that most of the sports we enjoy are corrupt, or at least come with plenty of moral ambiguities. I've come to that conclusion by covering sports for a long time, and being close to several sports programs.

Athletes are on performance enhancing drugs, amateur and collegiate athletes are on the take and are having their school work done for them. Sports are no different than any other high-risk, big money ventures. If you want to participate on the level where the highest benefit exists, you have to be willing to get dirty. It's not unlike being in the mafia. The professional and financial rewards are huge, if you are willing to live with the damage to your soul. These men have all made the choice to let God be the judge.

There's not a single D-I college football player or basketball player who's not receiving some sort of benefit. There's not a single NBA player who doesn't take steroids, and/or speed, and pot smoking culture is epidemic. Same for the NFL.

Nonetheless. I watch them all with relish (I don't watch the NBA.), acknowledging the entire time that I'm part of the problem.

grasshopper, if everyone cheats are they really cheating? oooommmm

[BarryG]

grasshopper, if everyone cheats are they really cheating?
Yeah - they're either smart cheaters or stupid cheaters, just like Nina K. said.

[shaq-d]

Aside from the fact that this guy is also saying exactly what you would expect him to--defending his test--he says the original test has “been used for more than a decade” and yet the story calls him the leader of “ . . . a team of scientists who THIS YEAR developed the test . . . “

Huh? You can’t have it both ways. Numerous other accounts I have seen of this test indicate that it IS a new test developed out of the old established test, and therefore it still needs to have a clinical record of reliability established, which has or has not been done, depending on which side you believe.

--Also note that the story refers to additional screening and DNA testing which Tyler requested, and which WAS DENIED. The IOC and UCI have a

--The story also points out the incompetence of the IOC test lab, and how well Tyler is aware of it . . . "It's obvious that the lab there had no idea what they were doing, and it makes you question the entire drug-testing process," Hamilton said. "But it's too late for me. I'm just their guinea pig. They already ruined my life because of their mistakes."“ . . . Yep. They sure have.

--Ashenden, the drug researcher, skirts the ragged edge of slander, saying . . . “He added: "It's too bad that an athlete very seldom has the moral courage to admit: 'Yes, I did this. I'm guilty.' " “ . . . It’s a shame HE doesn’t have the moral courage to actual accuse Tyler of lacking it. Very slick . . .


ashenden can get sued if he accuses tyler. that's why he's staying out of it. he's in there to give expert opinion; who knows what was asked of him to say that line? anyway, n/m about ashy, that's just a small thing...

if this is going on in the courts, tyler will get whatever evidence he needs about how they do the testing, unless his lawyers suck. (judging from what we've seen, that may well be the case since he seems to have no money for the lawyers). but the law will rule in favour of tyler's team to get what they need from the UCI. as for the UCI denying them the goods, it's just a good stalling tactic to waste some more of tyler's money and time.

finally, as for the "new" test, i seriously doubt there needs to be a whole slew of evidence done on this particular test. it just needs to be proven that it's sound science. which will probably be easy to prove.

sd

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . I'm not sure if this IS a "legal proceeding." There may be no requirement that any due process at all be accorded to Tyler. There may be nothing legal to force IOC and UCI to give up the testing data. This is something I'm not sure of, as the "law" in Europe may be considerably different than here.

Perhaps there is someone else here on the forum who could tell us more.

BBDave

[jeffg]

At the same Interbike show, Hamilton's fellow Team USA Olympian Bobby Julich told the Times' Macur that, "Suspicions about Hamilton 'go against everything I've ever known from the guy.' But, Julich added: 'The rest of us at the Olympics passed the test. Why didn't he? I'm sick of people who cheat, sick of cleaning up their mess and trying to explain it. There is heavy evidence against (Hamilton). With that much evidence, I don't know how he's going to get out of it."

I recognize the concerns about due process, presumption of innocence, etc.; however, Bobby J's reaction resonates with me, to wit: Tyler may be innocent, but I sure aint holding my breath! :no:

[va rider]

if the test is not reliable, how come only 1 false positive with all of those athletes tested in the Olympics and TDF, and why would TH incredibly fail it twice?

Fool me once shame on you, Fool me twice shame on me.

[bulliedawg]

I hate to be this way, but I think it's time for us to admit that most of the sports we enjoy are corrupt, or at least come with plenty of moral ambiguities. I've come to that conclusion by covering sports for a long time, and being close to several sports programs.

Athletes are on performance enhancing drugs, amateur and collegiate athletes are on the take and are having their school work done for them. Sports are no different than any other high-risk, big money ventures. If you want to participate on the level where the highest benefit exists, you have to be willing to get dirty. It's not unlike being in the mafia. The professional and financial rewards are huge, if you are willing to live with the damage to your soul. These men have all made the choice to let God be the judge.

There's not a single D-I college football player or basketball player who's not receiving some sort of benefit. There's not a single NBA player who doesn't take steroids, and/or speed, and pot smoking culture is epidemic. Same for the NFL.

Nonetheless. I watch them all with relish (I don't watch the NBA.), acknowledging the entire time that I'm part of the problem.

Bonds wins his seventh MVP award. Case closed.

[Orin]

if the test is not reliable, how come only 1 false positive with all of those athletes tested in the Olympics and TDF, and why would TH incredibly fail it twice?

Fool me once shame on you, Fool me twice shame on me.

One in N people are chimeric without receiving a transfusion. The test will pick this up as a positive. I don't know what N is. Test N people, you expect to get one false positive. If Tyler is innocent and naturally chimeric, I'd expect the test to _consistently_ come up positive. If Tyler ever comes up negative using exactly the same test (using the same blood types and anti-sera), then he is toast IMO.

With this test, failing it twice means less than failing it one out of two...

To Tyler's credit, they were saying his blood was suspicious earlier in the year. In other words, we don't know that this test has ever come up negative for him.

I read the paper on the test. Get the dilutions right and from the histograms in the paper, it's obvious. I'd want to see those histograms. Get the dilutions wrong and the data gets fuzzy - you get a maybe instead of a clear result.

So, I'm not convinced either way.

Orin.

[shaq-d]

. . . I'm not sure if this IS a "legal proceeding." There may be no requirement that any due process at all be accorded to Tyler. There may be nothing legal to force IOC and UCI to give up the testing data. This is something I'm not sure of, as the "law" in Europe may be considerably different than here.

ahh bee.. i think u're right..for some reason i was under the impression it was legal...if it's just the sporting body at stake.. well, tyler's gonna be stuck on stake...

sd

[Needs Help]

It's hard to believe Tyler could have tested positive for doping when all those polygraph tests he has taken recently and made available to the media show he is telling the truth when he says he doesn't dope.

If he was smart, he would have taken out insurance for such an eventuality.

[BumbleBeeDave]

This is a joke, right? Have you been smokin’ the sofa stuffing again? ;)

BBDave

[va rider]

One in N people are chimeric without receiving a transfusion. The test will pick this up as a positive. I don't know what N is.

In a recent Bicyling article, a Harvard Dr. stated to a journalist, the following on possibilities of being chimeric:

Dr. Margot Kruskall, a pathology professor at Harvard Medical School and Director of Beth Israel Deaconness' hospital's Division of Laboratory and Transfusion Medicine, told me in an e-mail exchange that chimerism was a possible, but highly unlikely, reason for Hamilton's positive test.

"Chimerism has been known for centuries," she wrote, "and there's ample literature on it in the last 100 years." While chimerism sometimes has no outward signs and thus avoids detection, Dr. Kruskall said that even if it is underdiagnosed the condition is still exceedingly rare. But, she added, chimerism is not always a natural process. "Chimerism can be created artificially, through bone marrow transplantation, or transplantation of other tissues," she pointed out.

Bicycling Article (http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,3253,s1-10361,00.html?category_id=367)

So, Orin, I think you make a good point, it sound's like it is a slim chance, but a chance none the less.

[BumbleBeeDave]

If Tyler can show that previous blood tests over a long period of time all showed the same result, then he would have a good point. Same if he can continue to take tests that show positive while somehow documenting his activities to show he has not cheated on those subsequent tests (difficult, I know). I think he has a better chance, though, through using a combination of pervious testing and sloppy execution in the testing labs on these most recent tests--which could be a big reason the UCI and IOC are stonewalling on releasing any lab documentation to him.

Given what the Harvard doc says, chimerism is an intriguiing, though remote possibility. Did Tyler have some medical procedure like a marrow transplant in the past? I don't know. But he would have to document it pretty thoroughly.

In any event, though, the "authorities" are out to nail him to the wall for reputational, financial, and public relations reasons that probably have very little to do with the truth of the matter.

BBDave

[Needs Help]

You mean Tyler hasn't done a polygraph test on Good Morning America?:confused: ESPN? OLN? America's Most Wanted?

Hmmm...that seems strange for a guy who said he is willing to spend every penny he has to prove his innocence. If it had happened to me, I think I would have submitted to a polygraph the day they announced my positive test in an effort to pre-empt the wave of negative publicity. Heck, I would have told my agent to sell the results to the highest bidder.

[BumbleBeeDave]

You crack me up.

BBD