Doping cheat Armstrong: “We did what we had to do”

“We did what we had to do to win. It was illegal, but I wouldn't change a thing - whether it's the pile of money I lost or going from hero to zero," said the 47-year-old American.

In the half-hour conversation, which will air in full next Wednesday and excerpts of which have already been published, the Texan explained that he would never have learned these life lessons if he had acted differently. “It was a mistake that led to many more mistakes. It led to the most colossal crash in sports history. But I learned a lot,” Armstrong said.

Since his systematic doping program became known, the once seven-time Tour de France winner has been largely banned from international cycling. In 2012, the American Anti-Doping Agency USADA and the UCI banned him for life. His tour triumphs from 1999 to 2005 were wiped from the rankings.

“I was an easy target” In addition, as a result of his confession, Armstrong lost $100 million in a lawsuit that could have cost him up to $XNUMX million without a negotiated settlement. There was a charge of fraud.

Armstrong said that if he had just doped and kept quiet, there would have been no investigation and ultimately no punishment. “I begged for it, I literally invited them to come after me. It was an easy target," he said, admitting that he should never have attacked whistleblowers like Floyd Landis, "especially since most of what they said was true."

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Doping cheat Armstrong: “We did what we had to do”

In an interview with NBC Sports, the fallen cycling idol Lance Armstrong described his doping offenses as a mistake, although he would act the way he did back then.

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