Lance Armstrong - it's definitely not about the bike

I've just watched the first part of Oprah Winfrey's interview with Lance Armstrong. He admitted doping in the first 60 seconds. From then on, it was all about "justification". How can he possibly recover? Well, being honest is a start. He remarked that the doping operation "wasn't as big as the East German sporting programme". Er - that's not a justification, Lance. He gave some details of the doping scheme he was involved in, and described it as "smart". He explained his behaviour, but wasn't very apologetic. I don't recall hearing the word "sorry".

There was a weird exchange as Oprah questioned him about why he sued people who he knew was telling the truth. His reaction was odd; "I was on the attack" he said.

Oprah mentioned Floyd Landis, a former Armstrong teammate who won the 2006 Tour de France and then tested positive for testosterone, and had his title taken away. Armstrong said the "tipping point" in his fall from grace was Floyd Landis’ testimony.

“The comeback didn’t sit well with Floyd,” he remarked. Quite.

His body language throughout was very uncomfortable-looking, with crossed legs, arms in front of his body and poor eye contact. it looked as though he may still be lying, but who can tell?

It seems to me as though his ego is as large as ever, and despite a fairly soft encounter with Oprah Winfrey, his reputation is in tatters. Compulsive viewing though.