Cycling: Armstrong injected EPO - teammate

Lance Armstrong. Photo / Getty Images

Lance Armstrong's former teammate Tyler Hamilton has claimed that the seven time Tour de France winner used a banned performance-enhancing substance.

Hamilton, who rode with Armstrong in the U.S. Postal Service team, told 60 Minutes that Armstrong took a blood-booster called EPO in the 1999 Tour and before the race in 2000 and 2001.

Armstrong went on to win the 1999 event which began a record run of seven straight Tour de France titles.

"I saw [EPO] in his refrigerator...I saw him inject it more than one time like we all did, like I did many, many times," Hamilton told 60 Minutes.

Armstrong has always denied using any performance-enhancing drugs and has never failed a drug test.

He responded to the allegations on Twitter saying:

"20+ year career. 500 drug controls worldwide, in and out of competition.Never a failed test. I rest my case."

Hamilton's own career was marred by blood doping scandals having twice served bans for failing doping tests.

"[Armstrong] took what we all took...the majority of the peloton," Hamilton said.

"There was EPO...testosterone...a blood transfusion".

US federal investigators are probing whether Armstrong and his former U.S. Postal team engaged in a systematic doping program, which he denies.

- HERALD ONLINE/AP