Boulder’s Tyler Hamilton could find out as early as this week if he faces a lifetime ban from cycling when an investigation into accusations he had a second doping violation is completed, the head of cycling’s international body said.
UCI president Pat McQuaid said from his Lausanne, Switzerland, headquarters Wednesday that the organization’s lawyers are going over evidence after a Madrid newspaper reported police findings.
According to El Pais, Hamilton not only had blood transfusions, which resulted in his current two-year ban, but also took EPO, anabolic steroids, human growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1. El Pais’ investigation centered on Eufemiano Fuentes, a Spanish doctor who allegedly gave athletes from numerous sports performance-enhancing drugs.
UCI rules require a lifetime ban for second doping offenses.
“If it turns out he is involved, and that it would be a second doping offense, it would be treated as a separate doping offense,” McQuaid said.
Hamilton, who believes he will become eligible again in September, said on his website he never has been in contact with Fuentes and maintained his innocence.
Also, based on his first suspension, he faces an additional two-year ban by cycling’s Pro- Tour. The organization’s recent legislation doubles any drug suspension handed out by UCI.
“I’m probably fairly confident in saying that whatever sanction he gets would finish his career,” McQuaid said.
Hamilton, a former University of Colorado skier who placed fourth in the 2003 Tour de France, did not return phone calls, but his attorney said he has yet to receive any evidence from UCI.
“Of course not,” Howard Jacobs said. “It’s ridiculous. They’re doing it through the media. The decent thing to do is to provide documents to the athlete, not the media. I know Tyler hasn’t been contacted. I haven’t been contacted. It’s a bit of a farce.”
El Pais’ accusations are heavy. It reported that a Spanish police raid May 23 found papers outlining Hamilton’s doping and a preparation program with Fuentes, including a schedule of what doping to take for which race. The raid also found a fax to Haven Hamilton, Tyler’s wife, listing money owed Fuentes for treatments.
Jacobs said the information was leaked to El Pais.
“They only leaked two pages,” he said. “I assume that’s their strongest evidence. The supposed fax to Haven and a ledger page were basically illegible. I don’t know what it is but it doesn’t look like a fax. There’s no fax transmission on it. It looks like a handwritten scrap of paper.”
Even if UCI’s investigation finds nothing, Hamilton still faces major hurdles to race in next year’s Tour. The ProTour contends his first hearing on his current suspension was April 2005. Under that ruling, UCI’s two-year ban would end in April 2007 and the ProTour’s additional ban would end in 2009.
Jacobs contends, however, that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reversed the ruling and made the starting date Sept. 22, 2004, and that the ProTour enacted its rule in 2005 and is trying to make the rule retroactive.
Even if Hamilton does become eligible in September, he must find a team to sign a rider who is coming off a two-year suspension. He may run out of time.
McQuaid said the UCI lawyers could finish their investigation this week, or much later.
John Henderson can be reached at 303-820-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com.
