Hamilton is suspended

A dejected but defiant Tyler Hamilton said he will continue his fight to clear his name after he was suspended for two years yesterday because of a blood-doping violation at a race in Spain last September.

The US Anti-Doping Agency announced the decision yesterday by the independent American Arbitration Association-North American Court of Arbitration for Sport. The action forces the gold medal cyclist from Marblehead to forfeit all race results since Sept. 11, 2004. The suspension ends April 17, 2007.

Last night, Hamilton insisted he was innocent and will appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.

"It was totally unexpected. It's a huge disappointment," said Hamilton, reached at his home in Colorado, of his reaction to the decision.

"But after a few minutes, it was anger. An innocent athlete has been suspended for no reason," he said.

The arbitration panel, by a 2-1 vote, ruled that Hamilton's positive sample after the Tour of Spain Sept. 11, 2004, was from a transfusion of another person's blood. That would have increased Hamilton's red blood cell count, boosting his strength and endurance, the USADA said.

Based on blood tests done in spring and summer 2004, cycling's international governing body, Union Cycliste International, had warned Hamilton and his Phonak team that he was under suspicion.

"UCI took the necessary action to protect the integrity of its sport," said Terry Madden, USADA's chief executive officer. "This decision shows that sport is committed to protecting the rights of all clean athletes and that no athlete is above the rules."

Last night, Hamilton took some solace in that Christopher Campbell dissented from the majority opinion, citing questions about the legitimacy of the testing in his case. He expects Campbell's opinion will help in his appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

"I'm confident," he said, referring to the 2-1 decision. "It wasn't like it was a slam-dunk for [the USADA]."

Hamilton, 34, first tested positive after winning the gold medal in Athens. But because the backup sample had been destroyed, the test was ruled inconclusive.

He was tested again after the Spain race, and this time both samples came back positive.

The fight has been costly for Hamilton, who has become one of the world's best cyclists, even if he is overshadowed by fellow American and six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. Hamilton told the Los Angeles Times in a story published Sunday that the legal fight has cost him more than $700,000 in fees and lost income. He was fired by Phonak in November with a year to go on his contract.

The suspension threatens to end the career of Hamilton, who burnished his reputation with a gritty fourth-place finish in the 2003 Tour de France, completing the race despite suffering a broken collarbone early in the competition.

The gold medal in Athens cemented his status as one of the world's best cyclists, but the blood-doping allegations have dogged him since.

Hamilton said yesterday's decision will prevent him from competing in this year's Tour de France in July, because he won't be able to get his appeal heard in time. But he still sees himself competing this year.

"I'm 100 percent confident I will be vindicated," he said.