Disgraced Texan suggests he has 'got his life back' after litigation case ends
Image 1 of 6
Lance Armstrong relaxing while George Hincapie rode a lap said the race had “a killer vibe”.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Marco Pantani and Lance Armstrong on the way to the summit of Mount Ventoux during the 2000 Tour de France(Image credit: Michael Aisner)
Lance Armstrong looks on upon his arrival in Rodez, southwest France, after riding a stage of The Tour De France for a leukaemia charity
Tom Boonen and Lance Armstrong on the start line of stage 8 at the 2005 Tour de France(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images Sport)
Lance Armstrong during the recording of his podcast (Image credit: Twitter)
Marco Pantani sprints to the line first ahead of Lance Armstrong at the summit of Mount Ventoux during the 2000 Tour de France(Image credit: Michael Aisner)
Last week, Armstrong agreed to pay $5 million to the United States government and $1.65 million to Landis to cover his legal fees and expenses after Landis filed his 'whistleblower' suit under the False Claims Act - which allows citizens to sue individuals for defrauding the government - for doping activities that took place on Armstrong's team when it was sponsored by the US Postal Service.
According to the agreement, the settlement "is neither an admission of liability by Armstrong nor a concession by the United States or Relator [Landis - ed.] that their respective claims are not well founded."
Armstrong posted a crooked arrow logo on his Instagram account on the day of the announcement of the settlement, with the word ‘Forward’ in capital letters. He suggested ending litigation means he 'got his life back'. However, he remains banned from sport for life after USADA stripped him of all results from August 1 1998, including his seven Tour de France victories, and the ban was ratified by the UCI.
"I knew in my own head and heart that we were done two weeks ago. But when it hit the press and the world knew and it let the air out of that balloon, it was a different feeling. I don’t know what it means but it felt different to me. It was super emotional."
Armstrong had risked losing up to 100 million dollars if he had been found guilty. He accepted that $5million was a "good resolution" but also joked that “there’s not a whole lot of money left".
"I’ve ended this really difficult period, but now I wouldn’t trade places with anyone on planet earth. That’s a serious thing to say, but I mean it," Armstrong said.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
To Israel and California instead of Washington DC
Armstrong joked that he has an Airbnb apartment available to his podcast listeners in Washington DC for May and confirmed he plans to be in Israel for the Grande Partenza of the Giro d’Italia and then California.
He is unlikely to attend the Giro d’Italia and Tour of California in an official capacity but confirmed he will be in Israel.
"We’re going to Israel to cover the Giro," he said. "The chance to go to a place like Israel to cover an iconic event like the Tour of Italy is insane. We know these events like the Tour de France start in Holland, Belgium or Germany, but to go that far from mainland Europe is pretty awesome and a pretty unique opportunity. So we’ll have three days, the prologue in Jerusalem, the stage to Tel Aviv, and stage 3 down south. It’s a pretty great opportunity."
After avoiding several weeks in a Washington DC court room, where details of his years of doping were likely to be laid bare, Armstrong also plans to focus on the women's three-day Tour of California that will be held between May 17-19.
"We now get to go to cover the Tour of California," he said. "We’ll be there daily talking about the Tour of California. We’ll talk heavily about the women’s race, the three-day event."
Download the Cyclingnews Film The Holy Week! Rent ($1.99 USD) or purchase ($4.99 USD) from Vimeo On Demand. You can watch the trailer below, with options to buy or rent at the end.
