Tyler Hamilton: Lance Armstrong’s “aggressive contact”, witness tampering

Lawyers for Tyler Hamilton have accused Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France, of having aggressive contact with Hamilton over the weekend. According to ESPN, Hamilton's lawyers have reported the incident to federal authorities to decide whether or not it constitutes witness tampering, since Armstrong is in the midst of a federal doping investigation.

Armstrong's altercation with Hamilton was first reported by The Outside Blog. The blog documents the interaction where Hamilton ate at a restaurant in Aspen, Colorado which Amstrong regularly visits.

Hamilton, who thought Armstrong was out of town at the time, claims he was surprised and blocked by Armstrong while leaving the bathroom.

He wanted to get into it, Hamilton told The Outside Blog. I was like, 'Let's step outside and talk away from the crowd, but he wouldn't. He said, 'No one cares.'

Hamilton then claims that Armstrong began to berate him. Among the things that Hamilton's lawyer Chris Manderson said was that Armstrong's lawyers would (expletive) destroy you, tear you apart on the witness stand, and make your life a living (expletive) hell.

When asked about the incident, Armstrong had a much different story. Armstrong said, I said, 'Hey, what's up?' It was certainly awkward for both of us. It was truly uneventful.

Jodi Larner, a co-owner of the restaurant Cache Cache Bistro and a friend of Armstrong did not hear the conversation but told ESPN from her vantage point, It was not combative. It was not hostile... There were no threats. There were very few words exchanged. There was no scene made.

Lance never left the barstool, Larner added. It was like two dudes meeting serendipitously. It was not a big confrontation. She said the men's voices were not raised and called what she had read of Hamilton's version fictitious.

Manderson claims that Hamilton apologized to Armstrong for situation, which led to Armstrong's comments.

Hamilton, a former teammate of Armstrong, went on 60 Minutes several weeks ago to accuse Armstrong of doping.