Hamilton's biggest test

Some may have missed it over the weekend but Friday saw the demise ofTyler Hamilton as a professional cyclist to a second positive resultfor doping.

Some may have missed it over the weekend but Friday saw the demise of Tyler Hamilton as a professional cyclist to a second positive result for doping.

American national road champion Tyler Hamilton announced his retirement from cycling on Friday after confirming that he tested positive for a banned substance in an herbal supplement he used to treat depression. The 38-year-old Hamilton confirmed that he had tested positive for Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) a multi-functional steroid he said was in an herbal remedy he took after he had stopped using prescription anti-depressants.

Now there are two ways I could write this blog on Hamilton, one is to criticise, the other is to show some empathy.

In his case one is easy, the other hard. I've never been a fan so criticism would the obvious choice.....but.

Hamilton is no footnote to contempary cycling history, he's an integral part of it for good and bad reasons.

Those of you who follow the sport will already know of Hamilton's career on the road, those new to it should know that he's the current US Pro Road champion and former Olympic gold medalist in the Time Trial.

He also has a history of being a seriously tough character, having ridden the 2003 Tour de France with a cracked collarbone, winning a stage and finishing fourth overall.

Many will choose to remember him as a cheat, having several high profile brushes with the anti-doping authorities one of which resulted in a two year suspension for blood doping.

Despite a long trail of evidence arrayed against him Hamilton fought the courts decision at great personal and financial cost.

In many ways he's a poster boy for the doping generation.

Over the past two weeks many of us had heard the rumours of a second positive test, fueled further by the rider pulling out of recent races he was destined to start with a claim to having bronchitis.

Now those rumours have become fact. But the facts still came as a surprise.

Hamilton said he'd been using prescription anti-depressants since 2003, and due to a myriad of personal and family problems had attempted to double down on what he was taking in a desperate attempt to stay on an even keel.

It's important to note that even in his press conference Hamilton refused to address his past doping history preferring to focus on the more immediate issue of this result, saying, "There's nothing to fight about," ... "I took a banned substance. I accept the consequences. You make mistakes in your life and I accept the penalty like a man."

I reckon he'd be a lot further ahead if he had manned up and done that the first time around.

But he's right, there is a need for everyone to move on, because this time it's a heckuva lot more serious that cheating at sport, this time it's about a long fight with depression.

We only have to look at cyclists like Marco Pantani and Jobie Dajka to see where this could head if Hamilton isn't cut some slack.

Depression is a cruel thing, robbing the best of us of our ability to think clearly, to make the right choices and to deal effectively with a range of issues.

It appears that this was at the core of Hamilton's inability to take responsibility for his past actions, this time he understands the position he's in and accepts it.

Considering his history, a long ban is not only a formality but the right thing to do but a life ban from the sport has also been mentioned.

It's a rare person that doesn't understand what Hamilton may have been going through, so the anti-doping authorities need to tread carefully around Hamilton's current mental health.

A life ban without seriously considering Hamilton's extenuating circumstances could turn out to be a devastating decision.