Anthony chats with former US Postal rider Tyler Hamilton about one of the defining periods in our sport, the US Postal days. It was a dark era defined by doping and deception but it has paved the way for change and re-birth.
Takeaways from this chat:
🌍 Transition to Europe: The shift from racing primarily in the US to competing in Europe was a pivotal moment for Hamilton.
🤝 Team Dynamics: The camaraderie and internal culture of the US Postal Service team played a significant role in their success, despite external skepticism and challenges.
💉 Introduction to Doping: Hamilton's recount of his introduction to doping and the ethical dilemmas it presented reflects the complexities athletes faced within the competitive cycling environment.
🚫 Cultural Shift in Doping: The evolution of doping practices, especially post-1998 Festina scandal, shows a significant shift towards more secretive and individualized approaches.
🧠 Mental and Emotional Strain: The dual life of being a professional cyclist and a doper had profound impacts on Hamilton's mental health and personal relationships.
📉 Getting Caught: The aftermath of being caught doping was a tumultuous period for Hamilton, leading to a decade of challenges but also paving the way for personal growth and the eventual telling of his truth.
Wouldn't be possible without our amazing sponsors:
Wattbike
Wattbike is the only brand I trust for my indoor training needs. Head on over to wattbike.com and use roadmanten you'll get 10% off the Wattbike Atom
HUEL
Huel has become my secret weapon for when I don’t have time to prepare a balanced meal and now you can order Huel Ready To Drink directly to your home, go to huel.com/roadman
Silca
Go to www.silca.cc and use ROADMAN13 at checkout to get 13% off your purchase
Veloforte
Todays show sponsor is Veloforte! Head over to veloforte.com and use code roadman30 to get 30% off your first order.
Breakaway
Join The Breakaway Cycling for free using www.roadmantrial.com
Pillar Performance
If you're ready to elevate your performance and sleep quality, why not give PILLAR a try, head to pillarperformance.shop and use the code Roadman on your local website for 15% off your first order.
Or for US listeners, head to TheFeed.com/pillar and use code Roadman for the same 15% off your first order.
MyWhoosh
Get started on the cycling platform everyone is talking about. It has all the features of its competitors plus more. I'm loving the new "Belgian World" .
It's completely free to get started. Go to https://www.mywhoosh.com/
The heart beat of our community & best place to reach me is Twitter
Want to watch full interviews on video? Check out our new Youtube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/c/roadmancycling?sub_confirmation=1
Our full back catalogue of episodes https://anchor.fm/roadman-cycling-podcast
My gift to you is 14 days of free coaching. To Claim your gift go to www.roadmancycling.com/14daygift
Support this podcast by buying me a beer https://www.patreon.com/anthony_walsh