Tyler Hamilton Appearance Tonight

co-owner Marty Miserandino says his specialty bicycle shop in downtown Peabody will be hosting Olympian cyclist and Marblehead native Tyler Hamilton tonight.

Hamilton is scheduled to talk about his career, followed by a question and answer session with the audience.

Hamilton, 40, effectively retired from professional road cycling in 2009 when he was banned from the sport for eight years after failing an out-of-competition drug test. It was his second offense -- the first confirmed positive test was during the 2004 Vuelta a Espana after he had already won a gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Athens.

Hamilton denied any use of performance enhancing drugs, however, on both occasions.

The former pro returned to the public eye in 2010 when he was subpoenaed that July for questioning in a federal grand jury investigation into banned drug use in professional cycling. Hamilton went public with his story nearly a year later and said he had finally admitted to using banned substances and indicated former teammate Lance Armstrong was also guilty of doping.

Hamilton shared that news in an interview on CBS' "60 Minutes" this past May and returned his gold medal. He also sent a letter to family and friends, which went public, again confessing to doping, prior to the news show being broadcast.

Since then, Hamilton and Armstrong had at least one confrontation (depending on whose story you believe) at a restaurant in Aspen, Co., in which the former teammates exchanged words, allegedly about Hamilton's interview and his status as a possible witness in the federal investigation. Hamilton's lawyers are claiming witness tampering.

Hamilton lives in Cambridge these days when he's home and works as a private coach. He will be at Fit Werx 2, located at 67 Foster St., from 6 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 9.

Hamilton hit the professional circuit in 1995, competing with Armstrong in the Tour de France in 1999, 2000 and 2001. Hamilton appeared in the 2000 Summer Olympics and was then back in 2004 in Athens, taking gold in the men's time trial.

He failed an initial doping test at that time, but since a backup blood sample was frozen, the offence could not proven. He then failed further tests at the 2004 Vuelta a Espana and was suspended for two years.

Hamilton returned to competition and became national road race champion in 2008 before failing another doping test in 2009.