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| Lance Armstrong used drugs, claims Tyler Hamilton | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A former team-mate of cyclist Lance Armstrong has claimed the seven-time Tour de France winner used the performance-enhancing drug EPO. | A former team-mate of cyclist Lance Armstrong has claimed the seven-time Tour de France winner used the performance-enhancing drug EPO. |
| Tyler Hamilton rode with Armstrong in the US Postal team and says they both used EPO during the 1999 Tour. | Tyler Hamilton rode with Armstrong in the US Postal team and says they both used EPO during the 1999 Tour. |
| Armstrong, who has consistently denied the many such allegations made against him, href="http://twitter.com//lancearmstrong/status/71358750434402306" title="Lance Armstrong on Twitter" >said on his Twitter page: "Never a failed test. I rest my case." | |
| Hamilton, 40, served a two-year ban for so-called blood-doping from 2005-2007. | Hamilton, 40, served a two-year ban for so-called blood-doping from 2005-2007. |
| "I saw [EPO] in his refrigerator... I saw him inject it more than one time," Hamilton told the CBS programme 60 Minutes, "like we all did. Like I did, many, many times." | "I saw [EPO] in his refrigerator... I saw him inject it more than one time," Hamilton told the CBS programme 60 Minutes, "like we all did. Like I did, many, many times." |
| Erythropoietin (EPO) is a hormone naturally produced by the kidneys. It is injected under the skin to stimulate red blood cell production, and its overall effect is to increase endurance. | |
| Armstrong's spokesman Mark Fabiani said in a statement: "Hamilton is actively seeking to make money by writing a book, and now he has completely changed the story he has always told before so that he could get himself on '60 Minutes' and increase his chances with publishers. | Armstrong's spokesman Mark Fabiani said in a statement: "Hamilton is actively seeking to make money by writing a book, and now he has completely changed the story he has always told before so that he could get himself on '60 Minutes' and increase his chances with publishers. |
| "But greed and a hunger for publicity cannot change the facts: Lance Armstrong is the most tested athlete in the history of sports. He has passed nearly 500 tests over 20 years of competition." | "But greed and a hunger for publicity cannot change the facts: Lance Armstrong is the most tested athlete in the history of sports. He has passed nearly 500 tests over 20 years of competition." |
| Allegations of the use of banned substances by members of the US Postal team are still the subject of an federal investigation in the United States. | Allegations of the use of banned substances by members of the US Postal team are still the subject of an federal investigation in the United States. |
| Hamilton claimed it was that investigation which prompted his decision to admit his use of performance-enhancing drugs. | |
| In an open letter to his friends and family published by various media, he said: "Last summer, I received a subpoena to testify before a grand jury. Until that moment I walked into the courtroom, I hadn't told a soul [about my doping]. | |
| "My testimony went on for six hours. For me, it was like the Hoover Dam breaking. I opened up; I told the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. And I felt a sense of relief I'd never felt before." | |
| Hamilton, a gold medallist in cycling from the 2004 Athens Games, is the latest in a list of former team-mates and associates to accuse Armstrong of cheating. | Hamilton, a gold medallist in cycling from the 2004 Athens Games, is the latest in a list of former team-mates and associates to accuse Armstrong of cheating. |
| In 2010, Floyd Landis launched a series of damning allegations against Armstrong, with whom he rode in the US Postal team for several years, claiming he had used banned substances throughout his career. | In 2010, Floyd Landis launched a series of damning allegations against Armstrong, with whom he rode in the US Postal team for several years, claiming he had used banned substances throughout his career. |
| Landis won the 2006 Tour de France but was later stripped of his title after a sample he gave following a stage win tested positive. He protested his innocence until 2010 but then admitted to systematic doping. | Landis won the 2006 Tour de France but was later stripped of his title after a sample he gave following a stage win tested positive. He protested his innocence until 2010 but then admitted to systematic doping. |
| Armstrong won the Tour de France for seven consecutive years from 1999-2005. He retired following the last of those triumphs. | Armstrong won the Tour de France for seven consecutive years from 1999-2005. He retired following the last of those triumphs. |
| The Texan returned to ride in the 2009 race and finished in a creditable third place. He competed in it again in 2010 but could only manage 23rd, although he helped his RadioShack team win the team competition | The Texan returned to ride in the 2009 race and finished in a creditable third place. He competed in it again in 2010 but could only manage 23rd, although he helped his RadioShack team win the team competition |
| Earlier this year, the 39-year-old announced that he has retired from competitive cycling for good. | Earlier this year, the 39-year-old announced that he has retired from competitive cycling for good. |