March 21, 2006 – When the UCI discovered that Tyler Hamilton was racing in the local Stazio Criterium Series in Boulder, Colorado, by way of photos on the internet, they were not amused.

Hamilton raced with a a few other pros in a mostly amateur field in the non-sanctioned race in his hometown. Hamilton is midway through a two-year suspension for blood doping at the 2004 Tour of Spain. After pressure from the UCI, USA Cycling sent all its professional teams and riders notice, threatening a 30-day suspension and a fine if they participated in the Stazio races. However, Hamilton agreed not to compete in the remaining races and USA Cycling subsequently informed its pros they were free to compete in the races.