Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

Oct 20, 2019

In a move that might surprise you, we bring on Tyler Hamilton for episode #16. Tyler Hamilton is a former cyclist who received two doping bans while competing and then would eventually be compelled to testify against Lance Armstrong in the federal case against him. 

Tyler started his sporting career as a ski racer until a freak back injury ended his skiing career. After the injury, he turned to cycling and quickly began a rapid and unexpected rise to become a professional cyclist. Racing in Europe for the first time, he quickly became indoctrinated in the doping culture, taking a red testosterone pill after a race in 1997 which led to much bigger and darker decisions down the road. 

Tyler would go on to be one of Lance's support riders in 3 of his Tour de France wins, then lead his own Tour teams and win an Olympic gold medal, all while continuously upping the stakes with his use of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) and techniques.

Shanna and Kara interview Tyler to talk about his story from what he was thinking when he first crossed the line with PEDs to what it was like to come clean and break the omertá, cycling's unwritten code of silence. 

In this interview, you will hear the very human story of a good person who made many bad choices and who is now trying to make amends by educating the next generation with the truth. Telling the truth has not always been easy or convenient for Tyler, but we are very thankful that he shared his story with us. 

You can read more about Tyler's story in his book - The Secret Race: Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France: Doping, Cover-ups, and Winning at All Costs.