Lance Armstrong dominated the cycling world in the late 1990s and early 2000s. However, after being at the center of the sport’s largest doping scandal, the American was stripped of all his achievements from 1998 onward. This included his seven consecutive Tour de France titles, a record-breaking feat that is no longer recognized in the official records.

Of all his victories, only 24 remain on his record, with the most notable being the 1993 World Championships, two Tour de France stage wins, the Clásica San Sebastián, and the Flèche Wallonne. In 1998, Armstrong joined the US Postal team and quickly became the focal point of attention. It was here that he crossed paths with fellow American cyclist Tyler Hamilton, another elite rider who was also caught using performance-enhancing drugs and subsequently banned from 2004 to 2006.

Winner of 2 Tour de Romandie, 1 Liège-Bastogne-Liège, 1 Critérium du Dauphiné, a stage in the Tour and another in the 2002 Giro d’Italia, where he finished second overall. He had an interesting career, but far from that of his teammate. In a podcast called “The Roadman,” Hamilton recently talked about the whole scandal and what it was like to share it with Armstrong:

“I hated transfusions, whether the blood was coming in or going out. At first they said it was to take care of my body, that it was for my health. I was sitting there and thinking, ‘What am I doing? This is crazy. I feel dirty’. From 1998 onwards everything was hidden and extremely dangerous. You roll up your sleeves, you strain and you push it to the back of your mind.”

“I thought it was what I needed to compete, everyone did. I took what everyone else took: EPO, testosterone, blood transfusions… I don’t hold a grudge. Life is so much better when you forgive. He went through a lot of things I didn’t know about, including being bullied by his stepfather. When I understood him, I empathized and understood what he was doing.”