Tyler Hamilton

:This article is about the cyclist. For the Canadian Idol contestant, see Tyler Hamilton (musician).

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Tyler Hamilton (born March 1, 1971 in Marblehead, Massachusetts) is an American professional road bicycle racer. He attended prep school at the Holderness School in New Hampshire. After graduating in 1990, he went to the University of Colorado at Boulder as a ski racer. A back injury ended his skiing career and he switched to cycling. He became a pro in 1995, riding for the U.S. Postal Service cycling team in the 1998, 1999 and 2000 editions of the Tour de France. Hamilton was responsible for protecting Lance Armstrong in the mountain stages of the Tour, as it was hard for other teammates to keep up. Hamilton also acted as a scout in the individual time trial stages, riding as hard as possible without regard to his finishing performance, and thus providing time split comparisons.

Related Topics:
March 1 - 1971 - Marblehead, Massachusetts - American - Road bicycle racer - University of Colorado at Boulder - Ski - 1995 - U.S. Postal Service cycling team - 1998 - 1999 - 2000 - Tour de France - Lance Armstrong - Individual time trial

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In 2001 Hamilton left U.S. Postal and signed with Team CSC. He was made a team leader under the tutelage of Bjarne Riis. Hamilton fractured a shoulder in a crash in the 2002 Giro D'Italia, yet still managed to finish second.

Related Topics:
2001 - Team CSC - Bjarne Riis - Shoulder - 2002 - Giro D'Italia

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In 2003 Hamilton won both the Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour of Romandie. In the 2003 Tour de France he cracked a collarbone in the first stage, but stayed in the race. He went on to win stage 16 with a 142 km solo breakaway, and placed fourth overall. For his stage win, Hamilton was awarded the Coeur de Lion (French for Heart of the Lion) prize, awarded to the most aggressive and daring racer of the stage.

Related Topics:
2003 - Liège-Bastogne-Liège - Tour of Romandie - 2003 Tour de France - Collarbone - French

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In the 2004 Tour de France Hamilton raced for Phonak Hearing Systems. He dropped out on stage 13, after having continued back pain, mostly due to bruising incurred in a crash on stage 6.

Related Topics:
2004 Tour de France - Phonak Hearing Systems

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He had developed a reputation for having bad luck, crashing during important stage races, but also for being a courteous, affable cyclist and spokesperson for the sport, especially in the United States. His wife Haven Hamilton and golden retriever Tugboat became recognizable fixtures at the races, appearing in photos and interviews. Late in 2003, Hamilton founded The Tyler Hamilton Foundation to raise funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Society, and to help amateur cyclists rise through the ranks. Hamilton's team was filmed throughout the 2003 Tour for a yet-to-be-released IMAX documentary on how the human brain works under stress.

Related Topics:
Golden retriever - Multiple Sclerosis - IMAX - Brain

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