AP/ June 15, 2011, 7:48 AM

Lance Armstrong-Tyler Hamilton clash on tape?

Lance Armstrong, left, and Tyler Hamilton joke before start of seventh stage of 90th Tour de France, between Lyon and Morzine, in July 2003

Lance Armstrong, left, and Tyler Hamilton joke before start of seventh stage of 90th Tour de France, between Lyon and Morzine, in July 2003 / AFP/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES - The FBI has contacted a Colorado restaurant to get surveillance tapes that might include a conversation between seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong and former teammate Tyler Hamilton over the weekend.

Armstrong and Hamilton ran into each other at a restaurant in Aspen on Saturday night, a few weeks after Hamilton went on "60 Minutes" to accuse Armstrong of doping and encouraging his teammates to use performance-enhancing drugs, as well.

Hamilton attorney Chris Manderson said his client was rattled by some of Armstrong's comments. "It was aggressive and intimidating and we thought it should be reported to federal investigators," Manderson told The Associated Press.

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Armstrong and one of his lawyers said the conversation was uneventful.

A co-owner of the restaurant, which is called Cache Cache, said Tuesday that the FBI was coming to take the restaurant's surveillance tapes. It's unclear whether the conversation was captured on video.

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Federal officials are now in their second year of investigating doping in cycling. Armstrong is a target of their work, and a Los Angeles-based grand jury is hearing evidence that could lead to charges of fraud, conspiracy and drug trafficking against the cyclist and others on his Tour-winning teams.

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Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, declined comment.

Manderson said it was well- known that Hamilton would be in Aspen; he believes Armstrong sought his fellow cyclist out for a confrontation.

"I don't think it was a coincidence," he said.

Armstrong told Outside Magazine the incident was "certainly awkward for both of us" and "truly uneventful."

Armstrong attorney Mark Fabiani said the meeting was a non-event, and offered up a list of witnesses to back up his claim.

Manderson said the two men haven't spoken to one another in years, including recent weeks after Hamilton, an admitted drug-user, appeared on "60 Minutes." The Hamilton interview reasserted claims made a year earlier by Floyd Landis, another former teammate of Armstrong's who was later caught cheating.

Manderson declined to say whether Hamilton would appear before the grand jury again, but hopes federal authorities will interview some of the people in the bar who witnessed what occurred.

"I hope federal investigators interview the restaurant owner and those in Armstrong's entourage under penalty of perjury to force them to tell the truth about the incident," he said.

© 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
4 Comments Add a Comment
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magnumdr says:
Armstrong is a kreep and it is his way or the highway. I would not trust this man as far as I could see him. Do you think that he is really going to tell the truth about the doping charges? NOPE!
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samXXkiley says:
coucou,

Lance Armstrong a paniqu?, apr?s des d?clarations de Hamilton, ce qui explique sa r?action
?a reste ? prouver


..................
Lance Armstrong panicked, following statements by Hamilton, which explains his reaction
remains to prove
"au revoir"
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bobnjersey says:
["I hope federal investigators interview the restaurant owner and those in Armstrong's entourage under penalty of perjury to force them to tell the truth about the incident," he said.]
----------------------------------------------
sorry sir ... i have no recollection of the events of that day.
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nbenn514 says:
2 years of expenses to collect evidence for a hearing to decide whether or not they're even going to bring charges?! And now the feds are traveling from LA to CO to get the film of 2 guys getting into each other's faces? Don't we have better things to do with our money? Let the cycling federations run the investigations and sanction as they see fit. This is a waste of taxpayers' money.
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