Tyler Hamilton's long and often tumultuous trip back to professional cycling finally ended Friday.

The Boulder cyclist and Olympic gold medalist announced he has signed a one-year deal with the Italian-based Tinkoff Credit Systems team. The contract was finalized two months after the end of his two-year ban for blood doping and means the former University of Colorado skier will race next season for the first time since 2004.

"I'm excited about returning to racing and look forward to being part of a developing organization and riding among cyclists with enormous potential," Hamilton said in a statement on his Web site Friday.