Editing Tyler Hamilton (section)

===Operación Puerto===
On June 18, 2006, the Madrid daily ''[[El País]]'' alleged that the Spanish civil guard investigation of doping in Spanish professional sport, "[[Operación Puerto doping case|Operación Puerto]]", had found that Hamilton paid more than US$50,000 to [[Eufemiano Fuentes|Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes]] between 2002 and 2004 to plan and administer his use of performance-enhancing [[erythropoietin]] (EPO), [[growth hormone treatment]], blood doping, and masking agents.<ref>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.elpais.es/articulo/deportes/transfusiones/dolares/Tyler/Hamilton/elppordep/20060626elpepidep_6/Tes/ Las transfusiones y los dólares de Tyler Hamilton], El País, Monday, June 26, 2006.</ref> El País charged that Hamilton's 2003 win of [[Liège–Bastogne–Liège]] came days after a "double" blood transfusion planned by Fuentes. The evidence presented by ''[[El País]]'' also implicated Hamilton's wife in facilitating Hamilton's doping. Fuentes was arrested with team director [[Manolo Saiz]] in May 2006 as part of the Operación Puerto investigation.

On June 26, 2006, Hamilton stated on his website:  "I was very upset to read the accusations against me and to see my name associated with the Operación Puerto investigation in Spain. I have not been treated by Dr. Fuentes. I have not done what the article alleges. In addition, I have never been contacted by authorities in Spain regarding these allegations. Therefore, it is impossible to comment on a situation I have no knowledge of."

The [[Copenhagen]] daily, ''[[Politiken]]'', published further charges stemming from Operación Puerto on August 19, 2006.<ref>{{in lang|da}} [http://politiken.dk/VisArtikel.sasp?PageID=471794 CSC-stjerne på omfattende dopingprogram i 2003], Politiken, August 19, 2006.</ref> The article summarizes Hamilton's alleged doping program during 2003. It quotes Danish doping researcher Rasmus Damsgaard on the organization Hamilton's program would have required. It cites [[Bjarne Riis]], Hamilton's directeur sportif in 2003, denying knowledge of Hamilton's doping. And the article states that the reporters attempted to contact Hamilton on numerous occasions but were unable to reach him. The article's allegations are based on the rider's doping and racing calendar obtained by the paper. The calendar was seized in Operación Puerto. The doping calendar indicates use of EPO, growth hormone, testosterone, blood doping, and insulin on 114 days over seven months during the 2003 season. The racing program correlates with Hamilton's races in 2003, according to Politiken. The calendar includes two blood transfusions during the [[Tour de France]]. “The first time before the three stages in the Alps and the second before the 12th stage – a 47 km individual time trial,” write the reporters. The article stated that such an ambitious program would have required assistance – “at least four or five people,” according to Damsgaard.

The next day, August 20, 2006, the Belgian [[Dutch language]] ''[[Het Laatste Nieuws]]'' newspaper published more details of Hamilton's doping diary. Among many allegations, the article claims he took EPO 30 times between December 2002 and February 2003 while riding for [[Team CSC]]. In 2003, claimed Het Laatste Nieuws, Hamilton used doping on 114 of his 200 racing days.<ref>[http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2006/aug06/aug22news2 Extensive doping alleged for Hamilton]. Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved on 2012-02-20.</ref>

On September 14, 2006, USA Cycling announced information from the UCI "regarding Tyler Hamilton and his alleged involvement in 'Operación Puerto' along with a request to move forward with disciplinary action." USA Cycling referred the case to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.<ref>"As ban ends, US cyclist Hamilton facing another probe," AFP, September 14, 2006</ref>

On April 30, 2007, ''[[La Gazzetta dello Sport]]'' published allegations that Spanish authorities had completed a second dossier on Operation Puerto, 6000 pages long and naming 49 cyclists. Hamilton was again named, with the detail that he was #11 on Dr. Fuentes's coded list of clients.<ref>[http://www.gazzetta.it/Ciclismo/Primo_Piano/2007/04_Aprile/30/operacionpuertodossier.shtml  "Nuovo dossier di 6000 pagine. E nuovi nomi,"] ''La Gazzetta dello Sport,'' April 30, 2007</ref>

Hamilton did not admit any wrongdoing at the time, and his defense was based on personal integrity. As US cyclist [[Bobby Julich]] who finished third in the Athens time trial that Hamilton won noted:

:"It goes against everything I've ever seen or known from the guy. But 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 him. With that much evidence, I don't know how he's going to get out of it."<ref name=lancetolandis />

Ironically, Julich confessed in 2012 that he doped during his career.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/13151/Bobby-Julich-leaves-Team-Sky-after-doping-admission.aspx|title=Bobby Julich leaves Team Sky after doping admission|work=Velo Nation|publisher=Velo Nation LLC|date=25 October 2012|access-date=10 December 2012|author=Shane Stokes}}</ref> The same year, Hamilton published a book, ''The Secret Race'', where he admits he was the client "4142" in Fuentes' documents.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hamilton |first=Tyler |title=The Secret Race |year=2012 |publisher=Bantam books |isbn=9780345530417 |page=[https://archive.org/details/secretraceinside0000hami/page/159 159] |url=https://archive.org/details/secretraceinside0000hami/page/159 }}</ref>