LANCE ARMSTRONG “CAME clean” to Oprah Winfrey on his use of performance enhancing drugs, the US chat show queen said ahead of the much-awaited telecast of her interview with the disgraced cyclist.
The talk show diva told “CBS This Morning” that her OWN cable network will telecast the two-and-a-half-hour interview unedited over two nights from Thursday. Originally, a shorter broadcast was planned for one night only.
“I didn’t get all the questions asked, but I think the most important questions and the answers that people around the world have been waiting to hear were answered,” Winfrey said.
“I can only say I was satisfied by the answers.”
The interview is Armstrong’s first since he was stripped of his record seven Tour de France titles after the US Anti-Doping Agency, in a 1,000-page report, put him at the heart of the greatest doping scandal in the annals of cycling. For a decade he had vigorously denied using banned substances to win his way into the history books.
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Prior to sitting down with Winfrey in a hotel suite in his hometown of Austin, Texas yesterday, 41-year-old Armstrong went to the offices of Livestrong, the cancer charity he founded in 1997, and apologized in person to its staff.
“Lance came to the Livestrong Foundation’s headquarters (and) offered a sincere and heartfelt apology for the stress they’ve endured because of him,” Livestrong spokeswoman Rae Bazzarre told AFP.
Speaking from Chicago, Winfrey — when asked if Armstrong had “come clean” to her — said she and Armstrong had agreed at the outset not to talk about the content of the interview prior to broadcast.
The New York Times and USA Today newspapers, however, both cited sources with knowledge of the interview that the 41-year-old Texan would admit to Winfrey using banned substances in his career.
“And then, by the time I left Austin and landed in Chicago, you (the news media) all had already confirmed it,” she told “CBS This Morning,” a breakfast news program.
“So I’m like, ‘How did you all do that?’ We all agreed that we weren’t going to say anything.”
Winfrey, 58, said she went into “the biggest interview I’ve ever done” with 112 questions, and grilled him so intensely that, during a break at the 100-minute mark, Armstrong asked if their conversation might lighten up.
With a world-class scoop on her hands, Winfrey flew home to Chicago with the video tape in her handbag “along with my dog food” for fear it might be pilfered if beamed back to the editing room via satellite.
“I would say he did not come clean in the manner that I expected,” she added. “It was surprising to me. I would say that for myself, my team, all of us in the room, we were mesmerized and riveted by some of his answers.”
“I felt that he was thoughtful. I thought that he was serious…. I would say that he met the moment.”
Hang on, who said he admitted anything? Oprah has a lot to gain by getting the highest viewership for this show. She suggested nothing significant about the content of the interview. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Lance continues to deny it.
Hopefully now whoever he successfully sued, will now sue him back for all the money he got from them. I hope he loses everything. He’s a liar,a cheat and a bully, who ruined a lot of people’s good reputations.
This is going to be a big pity party for lance. Just a continuation of his hustle, he deserves to be ruined but will probably come out of this with most of his fortune intact and a sympathetic hollywood movie portraying him as some kind of prodigal son figure
the US love sinners to beg forgiveness , don’t forget ‘I did not have sex with woman’ ! that worked.
he will find God any second now and every thing will be fine.
He is a total fraud, what makes people think this interview is going to make any difference! What about all the people who came in second and the work they put in only to be cheated by a arrogant yank who thought he could fool the world!!
If he were to admit to using a bit of a cereal box and a clothes peg on his spokes, getting scuts, doing ghosties or bunny hops then I’ll be surprised.
The first part is at 2am Friday Irish time, David, and it will be streamed live on Oprah.com. As far as I know it will be on the Discovery Channel as well.
Why hasn’t Irish cycling encouraged its cyclists to emulate or copy the training methods of Stephen Roche who, in one season, won the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta d’Espana – and he did all this totally drug free against a Peleton that now appears to have been doped extensively. Surely the man who orchestrated and successfully carried out this magnificent achievement has invaluable advice to offer on how to win clean?
Roche never won the Vuelta, the World Champs was the other big win for him in 1987. Things were very different back then as EPO became a game changer when it came about later. There have been questions raised (serious implications) regarding his later career though. It’s all public knowledge…see wiki for example.
He still deserves credit for the livestrong foundation, but i think he should sacrifice half his wealth too which his career earned him in excess of $100 million to the foundation and openly apologise to all the cyclists that he potentially robbed of so many titles.
Apologies to Brian O’ Neil re Roche and the Vuelta – I stand corrected. World Champs it was. Maybe we should bring back Galtee Cheese and stick it in cyclists’ musettes!
He needs to hang is head. He didn’t even have the respect for his fans to admit the truth until Oprah paid him God knows how much for an interview. Dishonest and Greedy
If his credibility regarding doping has been shattered then questions surely hang over other events in his life outside of cycling, for example the potential smoke screens that could have been provided by medical treatment for an illness, for example.
did every one really think he could win 7 times and recover from the big C, without help from
his local dealer ?
he is not alone ! should be a prize for the guy who took the least drugs !!! come on >
A man doping in a sport where nearly all the athletes are using some sort of performance in hanging drugs is not the end of the world…I am not condoning his behaviour but he was not alone in it. Not even close!
He wants some bans lifted, but if he had cooperated with the cycling authorities he was offered a very light penalty. No attack of conscience here, just a belated realisation that dishonesty was a really bad policy for him. Many companies will be asking more aggressively for money paid on the foot of victories, and the libels cases he liked to fight, to be repaid now.
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What a brave man. He admits it when there is absolutely NO WAY he can continue to deny it. 0 respect
Hang on, who said he admitted anything? Oprah has a lot to gain by getting the highest viewership for this show. She suggested nothing significant about the content of the interview. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Lance continues to deny it.
So he admitted what everybody has known for years then? How very brave of him.
I didn’t think he would have the ball to go through with it!!
I see what you did there. Nice.
I hate Oprah Winfrey. Anything that comes out of her mouth should be taken with several thousand pinches of salt.
Cheat, get caught, confess; it’s always the same old cycle with these athletes.
Did you have sex with that woman in The Oval Office…?… Oh wait, wrong fella…!
I just can’t understand how delusional he was to create liable law suits against people telling the truth.
Hopefully now whoever he successfully sued, will now sue him back for all the money he got from them. I hope he loses everything. He’s a liar,a cheat and a bully, who ruined a lot of people’s good reputations.
Low life, thats what he is.
He must of been such a good lier he convinced himself.. I can wait till South Park tare him a new one :)
Piffle! Now if she could get Bush the idiot & Bliar to confess their unnecessary Iraq invasion, that would be a great scoop!
This is going to be a big pity party for lance. Just a continuation of his hustle, he deserves to be ruined but will probably come out of this with most of his fortune intact and a sympathetic hollywood movie portraying him as some kind of prodigal son figure
the US love sinners to beg forgiveness , don’t forget ‘I did not have sex with woman’ ! that worked.
he will find God any second now and every thing will be fine.
He is a total fraud, what makes people think this interview is going to make any difference! What about all the people who came in second and the work they put in only to be cheated by a arrogant yank who thought he could fool the world!!
The comments here show a lack of understanding of US society. Every action is forgiveable once you publicaly apologise.
Unlike Ireland where we don’t even look for an apology before forgiving.
totally agree, flash in the pan !! he will ask forgiveness from his family and God !
If he were to admit to using a bit of a cereal box and a clothes peg on his spokes, getting scuts, doing ghosties or bunny hops then I’ll be surprised.
Rabble rabble government rabble rabble recession rabble rabble.
Trolling commencing 5..4..3..2..1…..
On your bike Lance.
Using Oprah as a media outlet stinks to high heaven.
Any idea of what time “Irish time” it will be shown and will it be streamed online?
The first part is at 2am Friday Irish time, David, and it will be streamed live on Oprah.com. As far as I know it will be on the Discovery Channel as well.
I heard on the radio it will be aired over two nights.
Why hasn’t Irish cycling encouraged its cyclists to emulate or copy the training methods of Stephen Roche who, in one season, won the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta d’Espana – and he did all this totally drug free against a Peleton that now appears to have been doped extensively. Surely the man who orchestrated and successfully carried out this magnificent achievement has invaluable advice to offer on how to win clean?
Hmmmmmm
Roche never won the Vuelta, the World Champs was the other big win for him in 1987. Things were very different back then as EPO became a game changer when it came about later. There have been questions raised (serious implications) regarding his later career though. It’s all public knowledge…see wiki for example.
He still deserves credit for the livestrong foundation, but i think he should sacrifice half his wealth too which his career earned him in excess of $100 million to the foundation and openly apologise to all the cyclists that he potentially robbed of so many titles.
Questions over that too..
Apologies to Brian O’ Neil re Roche and the Vuelta – I stand corrected. World Champs it was. Maybe we should bring back Galtee Cheese and stick it in cyclists’ musettes!
Mingey,Mingey…are you there Mingey? Are we in Paris yet?
On yer bike lance, off with ya now….
2 1/2 hours and she didn’t get all the questions asked?
Armstrong will already have his next couple of moved planned.
I reckon his reasoning will be that he was the best cheating cyclist amongst the cheating cyclists.
He’s guilty as sin. Yet if he tweeted did anyone want to go for a ride in the Phoenix park 1000′s would turn up.
He needs to hang is head. He didn’t even have the respect for his fans to admit the truth until Oprah paid him God knows how much for an interview. Dishonest and Greedy
Will God love me if I putt from the rough?
Or did he
Who am I?
Anyone know if this will be televised in Ireland or uk?
There is another elephant in the lance armstrong room which no one is addressing.
Please elaborate?
If his credibility regarding doping has been shattered then questions surely hang over other events in his life outside of cycling, for example the potential smoke screens that could have been provided by medical treatment for an illness, for example.
Is marijuana a performance enhancing drug?
did every one really think he could win 7 times and recover from the big C, without help from
his local dealer ?
he is not alone ! should be a prize for the guy who took the least drugs !!! come on >
A man doping in a sport where nearly all the athletes are using some sort of performance in hanging drugs is not the end of the world…I am not condoning his behaviour but he was not alone in it. Not even close!
Who cares the man beat cancer and cycled in the tour de france
He wants some bans lifted, but if he had cooperated with the cycling authorities he was offered a very light penalty. No attack of conscience here, just a belated realisation that dishonesty was a really bad policy for him. Many companies will be asking more aggressively for money paid on the foot of victories, and the libels cases he liked to fight, to be repaid now.