Tyler Hamilton to repeat Armstrong doping claims in book

Less than two weeks after Lance Armstrong was handed a lifetime ban by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), fellow American cyclist Tyler Hamilton will describe their alleged drug cheating together in a book.

Hamilton, who was officially stripped of his Athens 2004 time trial gold medal by the International Olympic Committee earlier this month, will replicate claims he made about Armstrong last year in a book to be published on Sept. 5.

Described by publishers as a tell-all look at the world of professional cycling, The Secret Race will cover Hamilton's battle with clinical depression and the story of his complicated relationship with Lance Armstrong.

Hamilton, who rode with Armstrong on the US Postal Service team, will repeat allegations he made in a 2011 interview with 60 Minutes that the Americans injected themselves with blood-boosters during the 1999 Tour de France, which Armstrong won.

(Armstrong) took what we all took... there was EPO (erythropoietin)... testosterone... a blood transfusion, Hamilton said in that interview.

I saw (EPO) in his refrigerator. I saw him inject it more than one time, like we all did, like I did many, many times.

Armstrong, who was stripped of his record seven Tour de France wins by USADA on Aug. 24, has always denied taking banned substances but has repeatedly had to fend off accusations despite having never failed a drugs test.

The 40-year-old has been one of the most successful and controversial cyclists of all time, returning to the sport after beating cancer to win the Tour de France seven straight times, from 1999 to 2005.

POLARIZING FIGURE

However, Armstrong is one of the sporting world's most polarizing figures and has made many enemies throughout his career, with several of his former team mates and colleagues allegedly ready to testify that he doped.

Former team mate and deposed Tour de France winner Floyd Landis accused Armstrong in 2010 of using performance-enhancing drugs and teaching others how to avoid being caught.

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