Reaction to Lance Armstrong's confession

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Lance Armstrong's confession on Thursday night that he had used doping throughout most of his career has drawn a wave of varied comments from around the world. Cyclingnews is gathering many of these reactions.

Andy Schleck (RadioShack-Leopard):  “Lance Armstrong's confession comes too late. On the other hand, I also remember what Lance Armstrong meant outside of the sport. Especially for Livestrong, his cancer foundation. I think he's actually a good person. I'm obviously disappointed now that we know how he won the Tours. Now it is time to return to our own careers and to the future. Finally, Armstrong told in the interview that after his comeback he no longer used doping. The biological passport and the out-of-competition controls have indeed changed cycling.” (Nieuwsblad.be)

Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi): “It has all been acknowledged as a lie. He had the ambition, he said, but I want to look to the future and don't want to look back. The image of cycling suffered in that era, today it is totally different.” (AS.com)

Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano): “In the end it didn't surprise me that he confessed. There was nothing else for him to do. Now I hope that he doesn't only talk about it to Oprah Winfrey, but also shares his knowledge with important institutions like the World Anti-Doping Agency or the US Anti-Doping Agency. Plainly put: actually there was nothing new.” (DPA)

Novak Djokovic -the world's number one ranked male tennis player: “It is a disgrace to the sport that there can be an athlete like Armstrong. In his cycling career he has deceived the sport and many people. At least the titles have been taken away. Like many others, cycling lost its credibility for me.” (Belga news agency)

Herman Ram -the head of the Dutch Doping Authority: "He confesses frankly and fearlessly, and that I find remarkable. (...) He is also playing it down. He wants to remove the impression that he is the mastermind, the architect of the entire doping program. He tries to shrink his role, which is of course a strategy. (...) (Armstrong presented himself as) the repentant sinner. He does it well. At that point, I find it impressive, even convincing. But if you're asking: what do you personally think? I say, he says he's sorry, but I doubt if it is sincere." (Nos.nl)

Bill Olivier - the team manager at Lotto Belisol: "Much has been said before, but a few concrete things emerged. I call it a thoroughly American show. An elephant brought forth a mouse. Lance Armstrong knew what he had to say, and especially, what he wanted to say. The interview was an orchestrated whole, but only to set Armstrong in a better light.” (Belga)

Hilaire van der Schueren - sports director at Vacansoleil-DCM: “Let us once and for all draw a line under the matter. It is time that we increasingly look to the future of cycling. I slept quietly last night and did not get up for this man's confession. This morning I have followed the news.” (ANP)

Tom Lund - chairman of the Danish Cycling Union: “The interview started out strong, but then faded out. I am disappointed that Oprah Winfrey did not get more specific and have a tougher approach. He was allowed to only concentrate on his own use of doping. Nothing came out about how it was orchestrated, or how the team organized it. There was nothing about which doctors or people who have been involved in this setup. It was a disappointment.” (Ritzau)

Bund Deutscher Radfahrer (German Cycling Federation): “In his doping confession, Lance Armstrong only admitted what the American anti-doping agency USADA had long since proved. Much of this was just 'hot air', as he contributed nothing to the illumination and further explanation of this time.”

Livestrong Foundation: “We at the LIVESTRONG Foundation are disappointed by the news that Lance Armstrong misled people during and after his cycling career, including us. Earlier this week, Lance apologized to our staff and we accepted his apology in order to move on and chart a strong, independent course. We look forward to devoting our full energy to our mission of helping people not only fight and survive cancer, but also thrive in life after cancer."

"Even in the wake of our disappointment, we also express our gratitude to Lance as a survivor for the drive, devotion and spirit he brought to serving cancer patients and the entire cancer community. Lance is no longer on the Foundation’s board, but he is our founder and we will always be grateful to him for creating and helping to build a Foundation that has served millions struggling with cancer.”