MOSCOW, January 18 (R-Sport) - Lance Armstrong has denied offering money to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to suppress the damning report that led to his Tour de France victories being wiped from the record books.
Armstrong confessed Thursday that all seven of his wins in the Tour de France were the result of taking performance-enhancing drugs.
“Nobody, I had no knowledge of that,” he said when about his rumors his representatives had offered USADA as much as $250,000 to suppress the report, which alleged he was at the center of the most sophisticated doping operation in sporting history.
The second part of Armstrong’s recorded interview with U.S. chat show queen Oprah Winfrey, broadcast Friday, focused largely on his feelings of shame at having doped, with few revelations about how the process worked.
The Texan, 41, said he would “selfishly” like his lifetime ban from competitive cycling to be lifted.
“Realistically, I don't think that's going to happen,” he said, adding he still wanted to run the Chicago marathon “when I’m 50.”
Armstrong said he had suffered a huge financial impact when his sponsors left him following the USADA revelations last year.
“I’ve certainly lost all future income,” he said. “That was a $75 million day. Gone, gone, and probably never coming back.”
Armstrong also described his past actions as “narcissistic” and said he wanted to live a more honest life.
