Hamilton appeals over two-year ban
 |  Banned Hamilton has told CAS that he didn't commit any doping offense |
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LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Olympic cycling time-trial gold medalist Tyler Hamilton has appealed to world sport's top tribunal to overturn a two year ban for blood doping imposed last year.
American Hamilton tested positive for illict blood transfusions during the Tour of Spain last September having won gold in Athens just weeks earlier.
The U.S. anti-doping agency handed down the two year ban on April 18 but now Hamilton has taken his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
"Hamilton requests CAS to annul the ... decision and to exonerate him from any penalty, considering that he did not commit any doping offense," the Swiss-based CAS said in a statement.
The court is the final avenue of appeal in international sport.
A ruling by a CAS panel of independent legal experts is normally issued within four months of an appeal being lodged.
Hamilton had also tested positive for blood doping after winning the time-trial gold at the Athens Olympics, but the "B" sample for that test was destroyed when it was frozen.
The International Olympic Committee had already ruled that it could not strip Hamilton of his medal without a viable B sample as a back-up test.
Blood doping is a means of enhancing endurance by increasing the amount of oxygen-carrying red blood cells using one's own blood or that of a donor of the same group.
The practice is prohibited under International Cycling Union (UCI) rules and the World Anti-Doping Code.
Hamilton has argued that the test used to determine blood doping had yet to be proven in an anti-doping context, and was unreliable.
Lotz steps down
Dutch cyclist Marc Lotz resigned from the Quick Step team Wednesday because of a doping violation.
Because of "the strong violation of the doping laws, we have no other option than to accept this dismissal," the ProTour team said in a statement.
"The team strongly regrets the fault our rider made, because we were more than satisfied with the past efforts from the rider in question," read the statement.
Media quoted Lotz as saying he took the endurance-boosting EPO for next month's Tour de France.
His best result this year was finishing second in the Brabant Arrow classic in Belgium two months ago.
The 31-year-old was scheduled to start in the Dauphine Libere on Sunday.
