A former domestique of Lance Armstrong and the dark side of doping and blood transfusions: "Everything was hidden and extremely dangerous"
Cycling
Lance Armstrong dominated cycling in the late 1990s and the first half of the 2000s. However, after the biggest doping case in the history of cycling exploded, the American was stripped of everything he achieved from 1998 onwards. Among them were the 7 Tour de France victories in a row, which marked an unequalled and unmatched milestone which is no longer taken into account in the books.
Of the total number of victories he achieved, only 24 remain, the most important being the 1993 World Championships, two stages of the Tour, a Clasica San Sebastian and another Flèche Wallonne. In 1998, he signed for the US Postal and began to hog all the spotlight. There he met Tyler Hamilton, a top-level compatriot of his, who also took narcotics and was suspended from 2004 to 2006.
Winner of 2 Tour de Romandie, 1 Liège-Bastogne-Liège, 1 Critérium du Dauphiné, a stage in the Tour and another in the 2002 Giro d'Italia, where he finished second overall. He had an interesting career, but far from that of his teammate. In a podcast called "The Roadman," Hamilton recently talked about the whole scandal and what it was like to share it with Armstrong:
"I hated transfusions, whether the blood was coming in or going out. At first they said it was to take care of my body, that it was for my health. I was sitting there and thinking, 'What am I doing? This is crazy. I feel dirty'. From 1998 onwards everything was hidden and extremely dangerous. You roll up your sleeves, you strain and you push it to the back of your mind."
"I thought it was what I needed to compete, everyone did. I took what everyone else took: EPO, testosterone, blood transfusions... I don't hold a grudge. Life is so much better when you forgive. He went through a lot of things I didn't know about, including being bullied by his stepfather. When I understood him, I empathized and understood what he was doing."
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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🚲🇺🇸 Tyler Hamilton, el gran gregario de Armstrong: "Odiaba las transfusiones, estuviese la sangre entrando o saliendo" marca.com/ciclismo/2024/… Te lo cuenta @eugemf7
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