Back pain forces Hamilton to abandon Tour

The cyclist from Massachusetts was part of the Phonak team.
PLATEAU DE BEILLE, France (AP) -- Tyler Hamilton pulled out of the Tour de France because of an ailing back Saturday, eliminating one of the top threats to Lance Armstrong's bid for a record sixth straight title.
The Marblehead, Mass. cyclist, who rides for Phonak, climbed into a team vehicle shortly before the halfway mark in the 13th stage, a 127.7-mile course from Lannemezan to Plateau de Beille.
His severe back pain was less noticeable in the early, flat stages than in the Pyrenees, which the race entered Friday.
Bruised
"He has bruising all down the left of his back," Phonak manager Urs Freuler said. "When you are in a climb you need the output from the back muscles. Tyler could not generate the power only from his legs."
"[Friday] was not so good, and so this morning we knew he had this problem," Freuler added. "It is not a happy situation for us, but the rest of the team is very strong."
Freuler said Hamilton, a former U.S. Postal Service teammate of five-time Tour winner Armstrong, was not immediately available for comment.
In the sixth stage July 9, Hamilton fell hard in a big crash and hurt his back in a pileup, landing on the pedal of another bike.
The 33-year-old cyclist also had been "very upset" the past two days after his dog, Tugboat, was euthanized after being diagnosed with cancer, the Tour's Web site said.
On Friday, Armstrong built an impressive lead over his top rivals. He finished 3 minutes, 27 seconds ahead of Hamilton, extending his overall lead to 4:22 over the Phonak leader, who was in 20th place.
Disappointed
"I'm a little bit disappointed," said Armstrong. "It's never good for a race when a big rider abandons. Tyler's a good friend."
A year ago, Hamilton rode most of last year's Tour with a broken collarbone sustained in an early crash. He finished fourth in the 2003 Tour and had hopes of winning this year after switching from Team CSC.
Hamilton, equally adept at mountain climbing and time trials, broke his back in 1992 while training with the University of Colorado's Alpine ski team.