What a week it’s been for Tyler Hamilton.

Just a week after becoming the first American to win Liège-Bastogne- Liège, Hamilton erased a 46-second deficit in Sunday’s final-day time trial to claim the overall title at the Tour of Romandie in Switzerland.

A strong TT made all the difference.

Photo: Graham Watson

“I’m incredibly happy and it’s like a dream come true to win them both,” Hamilton said of his rare Liège-Romandie double. “I didn’t know how well I did in the time trial. I didn’t have time splits, so I went as hard as I could. I knew there was a lot at stake, but I am surprised to win by that margin.”

The 20.4km time trial was well-suited for Hamilton’s strengths, with a rolling course, some wide open straights and a climbing finish to the Olympic stadium in Lausanne. Hamilton’s been close in time trials all spring -- 3rd at Paris-Nice; 5th at Criterium International and third at Basque Country time trial stages – and picked the right race at the right time to win.

Hamilton finished 41 seconds ahead of second-place Alex Zülle (Phonak) and 1:20 ahead of Spaniard Francisco Perez (Milaneza-MSS), who dropped to third in the final GC. Laurent Dufaux (Alessio) couldn’t match Hamilton’s strength in the race against the clock and ended up second overall at 33 seconds back.

Hamilton’s win is the second by an American at the important Romandie race, rated just behind the major three-week stage races in points. Andy Hampsten won the race in 1992.

Laurent Dufaux took second overall

Photo: Graham Watson

“This shows Tyler’s the No. 1 rider this year. What a week,” said Team CSC manager Bjarne Riis. “It’s just fabulous. It’s exceeded our expectations this week. It’s hard to describe it. I’m just very happy for everyone.”

With the win, Hamilton is expected to shoot to the No. 1 position in the UCI world rankings so far for the 2003 season when they are released May 11. He was ranked 10th overall after his Liège win, and will likely bounce higher though he will lose points earned at last year’s second-place finish at the Giro d’Italia.

Hamilton will head home to his European base in Girona, Spain, where he said he wants to reflect on his remarkable achievements over the past two weeks. He will take a short break before beginning final preparations on July’s Tour de France.

“I’m looking forward to going home to realize everything that’s happened,” Hamilton said. “Right after Liège, I went straight to Romandie, so I’ve been racing straight through. It’s going to be nice to have some time to think about what I’ve done.”