Disgraced cyclist Tyler Hamilton wins prize for drugs book

The evil twin... Even in an airport crime novel the involvement of an evil twin would seem a bit far-fetched. But this was the excuse used by cyclist Tyler Hamilton after failing a doping test in 2005. The American said the irregularities in h (GETTY IMAGES)

Disgraced cyclist Tyler Hamilton said he was "proud of writing it but not proud of what's in it" after his book, The Secret Race, won the prestigious William Hill Sports Book of the Year award yesterday.

Hamilton, 41, a former Olympic gold medallist and seven-times Tour de France rider, and his co-writer, Daniel Coyle, took the £24,000 prize for their account of the murky dealings in the world of professional cycling that gave a close-up view of the day-to-day detail of doping.

Hamilton was a team-mate of Lance Armstrong on the US Postal Service team during the 1999, 2000 and 2001 Tours de France and was later banned from cycling after being found guilty of doping.