Lance Armstrong to feature in ESPN film series

The US sports network ESPN will feature Lance Armstrong in an upcoming episode of its 30 for 30 film series, and in an interview with KXAN in Austin this weekend, Armstrong spoke about the filming process, saying he was not sure how he would be portrayed.

Armstrong finally confessed to doping in 2013 after being investigated and charged with multiple anti-doping rule violations by the US Anti-Doping Agency. He lost his seven Tour de France victories and other results and paid a five million dollar settlement to the US government for his time at the US Postal Service team. He was banned fo life by USADA and has since suggested he has tried to make up for his past sins by reaching out to many of the people he hurt. 

"The only thing I can do is give them access and be myself, be totally honest and transparent, and raw at times," Armstrong told KXAN. "I trust that series to tell the true and complete series (story -ed) but I'm not in the editing room so I don't know where we end up."

30 for 30 is a series of short films by a diverse range of filmmakers about sports figures that incorporate larger issues beyond sports. One episode featured a horse in Japan that never won a race but became a symbol of hope for the country. Another film by John Dower featured Greg LeMond and his famous Tour de France battle with Bernard Hinault.

ESPN sent out a teaser in January announcing the Armstrong film along with others on Michael Vick, Dennis Rodman, Florence Griffith Joyner and more.

Along with revisiting his disgrace for ESPN, Armstrong was back on some familiar roads in Texas where he was acting as a 'charity chaser' in the Austin Marathon, running down the same roads where he was lauded with a parade following his first Tour de France victory.

Calling the past two decades "a wild ride not just for myself but for my friends and family", Armstrong admits that while "the wounds have healed for me", he acknowledged that others may not feel the same way.

Armstrong is banned from any sanctioned competition, but entered the Austin Marathon as a charity chaser, starting last and raising one dollar for each runner he passed. After the marathon, Armstrong called the run "a thrill" in an Instagram post, saying he managed to catch all but 59 runners.