Armstrong worried about German cycling

Lance Armstrong is worried about the state of German cycling. "I hope that the opinion in Germany is not hostile," he said.

He continued, "It is interesting to see how certain lands and cultures are against my comeback. But in France things have changed in an important place. [Tour organiser] ASO president Patrice Clerc had to leave. He believed that the Tour alone was the star, not the athletes. But that's not the way it is in sports."

The seven-time Tour de France winner acknowledged that some people will never believe that he rides clean. "The skeptics and critics want to hear from me: 'Yes, I cheated.' But why should I lie? I have never doped and I wouldn't lie, just to satisfy these people." (SW)