Hamilton hearing likely in late Feb., early march

Tyler Hamilton | February 1, 2005

The long-dormant TylerHamilton.com website has been updated, with news of the successful Phonak appeal, Hamilton's own case, which he said is scheduled to be heard late this month or early next, and the usual personal anecdotes (and pictures of his new puppies).

Hamilton apparently testified before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in the Phonak case, and provides his take on former teammate Santiago Perez' case:

...as far as I know, the media reports stating that a two-year suspension is on his horizon are incorrect. From what I understand, he did make an unsuccessful appeal to have the case against him thrown out based on how and when he was asked to provide his final blood sample. However, I’m told his case with the Spanish Cycling Federation probably won’t be heard until May or June, which means Santi will most likely be racing for the first half of the year awaiting his hearing.

Elsewhere, ProCycling.com reports that the Vuelta doesn't know how it will accommodate Phonak this year. Since they won their appeal, they've become the 20th ProTour team, which should allow them to race in all the UCI races, including all three grand tours. Unfortunately, the Vuelta had held 19 places open for ProTour teams, and intended to offer 2 places to Spanish teams, likely two of Comunitat Valenciana, Relax, and Kaiku. If they add Phonak, it would require taking only one Spanish team, or expanding to 22 total squads, more than organizers believe they can handle logistically.