Its psychological toll would drive many of the sport’s top performers to substance abuse, depression, even suicide. In the mid-1990s, the advent of a powerful new blood-boosting drug called EPO reshaped the world of cycling, and a relentless, win-at-any-cost ethos took root. But just weeks after Hamilton reached his own personal pinnacle-winning the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics-his career came to a sudden, ignominious end: He was found guilty of doping and exiled from the sport.įrom the exhilaration of his early, naïve days in the peloton, Hamilton chronicles his ascent to the uppermost reaches of this unforgiving sport. For the first three of Armstrong’s record seven Tour de France victories, Hamilton was by Armstrong’s side, clearing his way. Postal Service team in the 1990s and quickly rose to become Lance Armstrong’s most trusted lieutenant, and a member of his inner circle.
In the 2003 Tour de France, he finished fourth despite breaking his collarbone in the early stages-and grinding eleven of his teeth down to the nerves along the way. Tyler Hamilton was once one of the world’s best-liked and top-ranked cyclists-a fierce competitor renowned among his peers for his uncanny endurance and epic tolerance for pain. The result is an explosive book that takes us, for the first time, deep inside a shadowy, fascinating, and surreal world of unscrupulous doctors, anything-goes team directors, and athletes so relentlessly driven to succeed that they would do anything-and take any risk, physical, mental, or moral-to gain the edge they need to win. Over the course of two years, Coyle conducted more than two hundred hours of interviews with Hamilton and spoke candidly with numerous teammates, rivals, and friends. The Secret Race is a definitive look at the world of professional cycling-and the doping issue surrounding this sport and its most iconic rider, Lance Armstrong-by former Olympic gold medalist Tyler Hamilton and New York Times bestselling author Daniel Coyle.
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