The full transcript of Donald McRae's interview with Lance Armstrong

ON DECIDING TO RETURN TO COMPETITIVE CYCLING

What are your main reasons for making this comeback now?

There are two parts to it. There's the physical, competitive part but there's also the [Cancer] Foundation part. But I had to know that I would be competitive before I went out and did this because otherwise it would have kind been a joke. Of course there may still be some unknown there although I think I'll be strong - because I'm strong-willed. I had been mulling it over before racing in Leadville. But it was not very serious and I had not told many people about it. It was just a wild idea.

Had you been missing the intensity of cycling? Is this, fundamentally, why you've come back to racing again?

It's been a while. This last summer it was three years [since his last Tour de France]. And in all of the other summers I never felt that. You would think in the first summer out I'd really feel it badly and then with the next one it would diminish a little with time. But, with me, the first two or three summers I went without thinking much about it at all. And then all of a sudden it came back. Those other summers I wasn't this fit. But this summer I wanted to get fit because I wanted to run fast in Chicago - I really started training hard. And that's what did it. That daily ritual of exercise, of getting fit, of really being in tune with your body got me thinking. So there wasn't one single moment.

Any doubts?

[Laughs] I spoke to the board, which is my kids and my ex-wife, and none of them had any doubts. They were totally supportive. My kids, obviously, were [supportive] but I really needed my ex-wife because I respect her a lot and we're really close. I didn't know what she would think. But she was overwhelmingly supportive. And then beyond that people who manage my career, who run the Foundation, I needed to talk to them. As with anything there is going to be up and downsides to it. There's going to be natural negative factors that you have to consider but [he takes a deep breath] you sit down and you look at it and you think, on balance, this is a positive thing overall. That's the beauty of this comeback. You lay out different scenarios in your head. What if you won the Tour again? Or the Giro? Or if you won them both? Or you lost them both? You lay it all out and I'm still up for it."

What about Chris Carmichael, your main cycling coach for the last 20 years?

Chris was there at Leadville so he was in on it pretty early.

Did Chris have any doubts?

He had no doubts it could be done but I think he was concerned that maybe I shouldn't do it or maybe I should just let it go. He doesn't have those any doubts anymore.

LEADVILLE

Did the Leadville Trail in August spark your decision to make your comeback? Or had you already made up your mind to get back on the bike?

The main realisation was that I could still be competitive. I was so strong in myself and got myself into a pretty decent shape pretty quickly. Before that race I had a couple of weeks on the bike - but before that it was just running, more than anything.

Is Leadville a particularly tough race?

Leadville climbs 12,500 feet. It's crazy. You do a lot of climbs and I felt good the first six hours. It was only in the last hour I ran out of fuel because I hadn't done enough miles.

How long did the race last?

We did just under seven hours I think. I finished just behind Dave Wiens, a former world champion whose whole season revolves around that race. He's a knock-back guy, older now, but this is his race. We were together all the way and then I said, 'Dave, you gotta go …'

I guess the pain of that last hour was not as bad as what you endured while running your first New York marathon in 2006?

Marathons are hard because of the physical pain, the pounding on the muscles, joints, tendons. I mean New York in '06 was a kind of hell. I ended up having stress fractures in my shins, which I probably started with, so just the pain of that! It started as a subtle pain, as an annoyance, and it developed into ice-picks in the shins. The last 5-6 miles … [pulls a face] I couldn't have taken another step [at the end]. But with cycling if you don't do those long rides you just don't have the endurance factor. I had only done 3-4 hour rides.

You've said before that losing is like dying … but, this time, you probably didn't feel too bad coming second at Leadville?

I told people I'd be happy with top 10. In my own mind I was thinking maybe top five - on my best day top three.

ON THE MEDIA SUSPICION

Media reaction is going to be heavily laced with doubt - in contrast to someone like Bradley Wiggins who seems very excited about your return to the Tour. [Brad and Mark Cavendish, who won four stages last year, will both be riding hard on the Tour next year]

He's great, a fantastic pursuit rider. Cav [Mark Cavendish] is crazy!

But, as I've told you, many in the media are describing your return as something of a freakshow, a horrorshow, a disgrace…it's hard to know who to believe?

I don't care who you believe but that's the stuff you have to lay out when you consider the negatives. There's no rule, no law, no regulation that says you can't come back. So I have every right to come back. But I'd love to talk to these guys. I love situations like that. I'll say OK, I understand you disagree with this decision and at the end of the day we might have to agree to disagree. But it's my right to come back. And it's my right to put out this global [cancer] initiative and to try and implement it. If you don't like it, so be it. I like it - and I'm gonna do it. And I think it's going to be successful. And I think the impact on my sport and on cancer survivors around the world is going to be positive. So at the end of the day I don't care what you think - that's what I would say. So, yeah, there's definitively been some backlash but we knew that was going to happen. Quite frankly it would be weird if everyone was on our side here."

2009 SCHEDULE

You start the year in Australia, which is a new venture for you?

I've never ridden in Australia. I went to the Olympics but nothing else. I like Australia. I liked it when I was there. I like Australians as people and I felt I needed to start racing earlier. That's the reason I wanted to go. Obviously I've missed race days the last three years so you have to make up for that. You can't simulate race days - the speed and the pressure in and around a race. I mean 200 guys go down the road very fast. So it's different.

Winning will not be vital in Australia - will it more be a case of getting your racing fitness back up to the old level?

Obviously I don't dream about winning the race overall because I don't think I will. But can you be competitive? I like to think I can. But I have no idea what to expect, no clue. I don't even know what the course looks like. It's more just an opportunity to get racing again.

And why have you chosen to racing in the Giro in Italy - when every other year in the past you've concentrated on the Tour de France?

Several things. I regret not riding the Giro before, but their 100th anniversary and starting in Venice and finishing in Rome made it irresistible. Again, that's the beauty of this comeback. I've lived in the Giro [Italy] for a portion of my career. I have friends and supporters there, I think. And if the Tour happens I think the Giro will be good preparation for that. But I'd like to be competitive at the Giro. I'd like to be one of the top guys.

This is a completely new schedule, for you, riding the Giro before the Tour?

I've never done that. In the past we had this set system - and it worked so well that if we'd changed it people would've said 'Oh he's a fool, he's doing the Giro' because you've got a programme that's been running and working so well so why change it? And we had a sponsor who had no interest in the Tour of Italy. It was an American sponsor and all they care about was the Tour de France. That's all that readers of the New York Times know, and all that people in Omaha or LA know - so for an American-sponsored team that's all they want.

So what is your exact schedule for 2009?

I go to Australia, Tour of California, a bit of training block there, and then I race in France in late March, in the Criterium International, then back for my training, then the Tour of Romandie in Switzerland and then the Giro and then I break and then the Tour … I still don't know."

ON ASTANA

Is Alberto Contador [lead rider at Astana] cool about you coming back?

I don't know. I haven't talked to him. And I haven't seen him. I'm going to see him in camp in a few weeks. I only know what I read and it's been well documented.

He's hedging his bets?

He's hedging a little and that's understandable. But I try not to believe too much of what I read. When it comes to issues like this I'm not normally relaxed but, you know, with this one I'm pretty relaxed. There are a couple of things here. I could not have raced against Johan Bruyneel - I had to race on his team. And I'm on this team because of Johan and it's a great team. And we just have to support the best rider. If it's me I hope and assume they'll support me and if it's Alberto then I'm going to support him 100%. If it's John Doe I'm going to support John Doe. I know the laws of cycling better than most. So I try to be pretty chilled out. I suspect it will resolve itself - and I have other things I need to worry about.

THE TOUR

Are they any doubts about you being allowed to compete on the Tour?

There are no restrictions or limitations. Astana will be invited. If I want to go then I go - and there will be no reason why I can't go. I haven't done anything. I understand certain people in France and in cycling might have that perception but the reality is that there's nothing there.

Is there any question mark about your participation?

It's my own question mark. And it's still just a question mark. It's nothing else. I would like to be competitive. It's not a game and I'm not trying to toy with anyone here - but I don't want my participation to be a distraction for what we're ultimately trying to do on the Live Strong side of things. And at the same time… Personally, I don't want to enter an unsafe situation - but you see all this stuff coming out of France. There are some aggressive, angry emotions. If you believe what you read my personal safety could be in jeopardy. Cycling is a sport of the open road and spectators are lining that road. I try to believe that people, even if they don't like me, will let the race unfold.

Are you worried some nut might shoot you?

That would be really bad! Let's not think about that one. But, listen, Eddie Merkyx would have won six Tours if he hadn't been punched. It happens to the best of us. Eddy broke a rib, fell over, and was out of the race. I try not to think about that stuff.

So there are people who say they could potentially attack you?

Yeah [little laugh]. Yeah. There are directors of French teams who have encouraged people to take to the streets [long, meaningful pause] … elbow to elbow. It's very emotional out there, you know, very tense. I get emotional about certain things but you know not this one. If I could sit across this table where we're sitting and talk to this French director, or your cycling friends, you know what I would say? Just fucking relax. Just relax. We're talking about bike racing here. We're not talking about your mother. We're not talking about God. We're not talking about war. We're not talking about you losing every dime that you ever had in your life. We're talking about bike-racing. So get some perspective. I understand you've got your feelings but we've got to move forward here. And we will. But I have to face that reality. And it's a shame because I have such fond memories of the Tour. You know you look around this room and you see all these cups. There's only space for six of them up here - but the seventh one is over there. I have a lot of fond memories and I just don't want to deal with drama.

You saw [President] Sarkozy about your riding in the Tour?

I saw him in NY. But Sarkozy is a politician. He's the President but he's also a politician so his staff advise him.

So he'll go with public sentiment?

His staff would - but I don't think he will. He's publicly stated that Lance Armstrong is the greatest athlete of all time and that's not a popular opinion to have in France. My poll numbers in France are not good so I appreciate him being supportive but beyond him his staff and the cabinet would not be supportive.

You've clearly long been aware of the animosity towards you in France - even if there are some cheers for you along the roadside?

You hear the boos loudest and you sure feel it when they spit on you. You gotta keep in mind that the Tour is a global event so the roads of France are not purely lined by the French. You have a lot of Germans who have a lot of emotions because of all the times I went head-to-head with [Jan] Ullrich. You've got Basque in Pyrenees, the Belgians, the Italians, the Dutch, the Swiss, the Americans, the Australians - so you hear a lot of support. And a lot negative stuff as well. And the craziest thing, and I can't dissect this in my mind, is that I could do the Tour de France and two weeks before I would do a race in Provence, in the Alps, the Dauphine de Libre, which is a big race in France, and I won it several times. And I always loved that race and the Dauphine was always very supportive of me. I would not get one boo and then two weeks later it was a whole other situation - even when you came back to that same region. At the Tour you bring in a much more international crowd. But I guess it would be silly if you rode down the road and everyone was blowing you kisses - that would be weird. It's professional sports. That's the intensity of the game and people have personal favourites, the cowboys and the Indians, the good guys and the villains.

[Eddy] Merckx was tremendously unpopular in France. Not being French, and being competitive with other French guys at the time, he was perceived as taking away victory from those guys. Anyway, I like the country and the people - the ones I know well I love 'em to death. I love what the event stands for. I love the fact that it's fucking hard. The best man always wins. But do I need to go and put my health at risk and jeopardise the success of this - no.

What does your gut tell you?

I don't have any gut feeling. I haven't even started racing yet. I just think it's healthy to take it off the table. Time out. Relax. And let me get going in Australia and elsewhere and we'll see, but if that goes well then you have to think that you'd want to go to the biggest bike race in the world. We can all understand that.

CONFRONTING THE DOUBTERS

With Don Catlin testing you and publishing the results online is this part of your aim to silence the doubters once and for all?

Well it would have been strange not to do that. I understand people in France and in cycling might have that perception but the reality is that there's nothing there. The level of scrutiny I've had throughout my career from the press and the anti-doping authorities is unmatched. I'm not afraid of anything. I've got nothing to hide. There are seven cups in this room because of my hard work. My record stands. Now the agencies have stepped up their efforts - Wada, USADA, AFLD, UCI - and you also have all these independent agencies doing even more. I don't care if it's Don Catlin or Don Whatever … I don't. I will do whatever Don would like to do to validate the results. This next year won't be any different - even if people hate to hear that. I'm going to be focusing on every aspect of the bike, the team, the strategy, the training, the hard work, the sacrifice. There are no secrets. To the critics I would say, believe it or not, there are exceptional athletes out there. Michael Phelps, exceptional athlete. Paula Radcliffe, exceptional athlete.

Phelps hasn't had the same doubts about him as you?

Swimming hasn't had the abuse flung at it. I don't need to bullshit you. There has been a fair amount of suspicion around me, and a helluva lot of suspicion around the sport. With Michael Phelps if the guys who finished second, third, fourth and fifth were all busted then people would say, hey, wait a minute. He beat them all - how the hell is that possible?

On your last podium in Paris you said you felt sorry for people who doubted cycling and the integrity of yourself and the Tour - and then Ivan Basso and Jan Ullrich got busted?

Egg on my face. Egg on my face. But look at the Brits on the track this year - absolutely outstanding. And still the head of French cycling said their performance 'is not possible'. Give me a break. Bradley Wiggins is the best fucking pursuiter of all time. I don't think he cheated. No! He's the most talented, he worked the hardest, he had the best position, he had the most knowledge, he won. So if I could talk to your cycling buddies I would say, 'Just fucking relax. We're not talking about God. We're not talking about war. We're not talking about you losing every dime you had. We're talking about bike-racing."

ON THE L'EQUIPE 1999 SAMPLE

How did you feel when you heard abut L'Equipe & The Armstrong Lie?

I remember the call. This house was still under construction and I was in the backyard with the contractor. At the time I thought, 'OK, whatever' - even if it was a big 'whatever'. There was hysteria and they got this big independent commission to investigate. Cycling, like the world, is very divided. One side finally said, 'OK, the independent commission cleared him so we're moving on.' The other side said, 'I don't believe the independent commission.' But the report was very clear and we were ready to go to the international tribunal with the lab, with Wada and the French government - and they declined. Now they come back and say 'OK, we'll now let you test those samples to prove your innocence.' [He pushes his cup of green tea towards me] OK, here's your sample, the lid is off of it. There's something in it and you, Don, your life depends on it, your credibility depends on it, but now I put the lid back on it. And now we come and we test it. Now nobody in their right mind - you, me, Barack Obama, your cycling buddies who don't believe in me, nobody, would take that test. The commission cleared me and L'Equipe itself said, 'The athlete in question has no way to defend himself.' They said that. I'm all for drug controls but if the athlete cannot defend himself? What kind of kangaroo court is that? No that's not the way you deal with things. I'm moving on. The commission cleared me.

ON THE OTHER ACCUSATIONS

So is Emma O'Reilly just a liar?

A lot of people have come in - well, not a lot but a handful of people, and we both know the names, Emma O'Reilly, Steven Swart, David Walsh, Prentice Steffen. And because there was so much litigation around this we sued David Walsh in the high court and we won that case. The prosecutor in Paris opened a federal investigation in 2000 and we were completely cleared. They retroactively tested all the samples, for the record, three separate labs tested those samples. One of the experts came back and said the samples were too clean, too clean. We had another SCA arbitration case in Texas and were vindicated again. All of this was evidence. George Vecsey of the New York Times said, 'Lance, why do you want to do this, why do you want to sue these people?' The SCA was over millions of dollars. I said. 'George, the beautiful thing here is that we have cross-examination.' Everybody was cross-examined. They can say one thing in a book or in article but under cross-examination it doesn't stand up. Their evidence does not stand up.

Betsy Andreu is another?

Betsy had no personal experience. Her husband lived, trained and raced with me and he said, under oath, 'I have never seen Lance take performance-enhancing drugs'.

And in that room with the doctors, before your chemo treatment, you've said there were eight other people there who did not hear what she heard?

So you go with the eight and one of the most legendary doctors of all time. Had he heard that he would have probably made a note of it as it would've been central to the patient's treatment and the outcome. You have to do that. We turned over the medical files - she says we didn't - but we absolutely turned over all of my medical files.

So people just don't want to believe your story?

That's part of it. But, honestly where's David Walsh now? Those people are not even in my rear view mirror. But, yeah, they're still there. And that's the downside to this. They've gonna get the calls. People will call Walsh and 'say what do you think, David?' Same with Greg LeMond - that's his thing now, talking about me, that's his mission. But …

What about Michele Ferrari? You have a long-term bond with him, and being linked with him doesn't look too good?

Yeah. But more was made of that relationship than actually existed. And these are family friends. And I'm not going to kick a family friend out of my life. There are those relationships but look at the real data. The fact of that matter is that nobody had more scrutiny than me. It began in 1999 and it went all the way. This is what happens. The press asks questions, the testers start coming to the athletes house, the police start looking into it … and guess what the performance usually drops. The scrutiny only increased on me every year and my performance increased. I would have been a fool in 2005, the seventh tour, I would have been crazy to go out and cheat. I had all the money I already needed and the seventh win was insignificant - it makes absolutely no sense.

SCRUTINY OF SCRUTINEERS

You follow your critics on the net, almost checking forensically as to what they have said about you?

I read stuff from a competitive standpoint because sometimes one of your competitors might say something and that motivates you on your training ride but mostly it's healthy to read scepticism and criticism. But, again, it would be strange if I was just surrounded by yes-men. Life isn't that way - whether it's the life of a cyclist, or of a father, or an advocate or an activist. So I try to listen to some of that stuff but you can't let it get to you. The other problem with cycling is that so many people read the nameless stuff - the blogs, the comments, but if you look deep enough you see that there are three people who have posted 45 times. That's not a slice of reality. I used to dabble and look. But since I have announced my comeback I have not. I will read a news piece in the New York Times or The Guardian I will read it. But I will not read a blog by a nameless person or from someone called 'Big Chain Ring John 52'. That doesn't count.

But looking at the NYT, the Guardian, the Sunday Times still matters to you?

The Sunday Times I don't read - no. I read the big traditional cycling sites. And that sort of stuff we have to be more open. Transparency is important - but transparency is not, hey Don, move in with me because, guess what, I've got a life. I've got relationships and nobody, but Don Catlin, is going to be embedded in my life. My kids will be embedded in life. Will I be much more available for the press? Absolutely. I'm doing this Twitter thing. I'm Twittering now. I Twitter between three and 20 times a day. I'm gonna twitter that I did an interview with you.

REFLECTIONS

Have you reflected much on your last seven Tours?

I didn't think much about it then - or now. I can draw on those experiences for what I'm about to do now.

What was your best day?

What was my best day? L'Alpe d'Huez 2001- my best day. The whole bluff and then the attack. Physically the best day and emotionally the best day.

The best overall Tour?

Hard to say. The first was good.

Whereas 2003 was not so good with all those crashes?

I didn't like 2003 - too many crashes, too close for me. 2005 was also special - breaking the record. I got these cups in this room and upstairs I've got the seven jerseys but other than that - even today my bikes are in the next house, in the garage. I'm not obsessed with it.

How do you feel, physically and mentally, in November 2008 compared to November 2005?

I'm much better physically now. And mentally there is absolutely no comparison. I'm far stronger and much more motivated. The motivation of 2008 feels like the motivation of 1999. I was back from cancer then. I had the motivation of vengeance because nobody wanted me or believed in me. I was highly, highly motivated. I was pissed. That was the motivation. But this is just a motivation to work and train hard and go race.

Deep down do you clearly believe you can win an eighth Tour?

I have anxiety and insecurity about being 37. Let's not forget I'm the oldest tour winner in modern cycling history and that was four years ago. But that nervousness makes me work even harder. We're doing a training camp in December in Tenerife and another in California with big climbs. Normally I wouldn't smell a mountain until February so I'm starting early. But this won't be easy. I don't know what to expect. If I went to Australia and won - I'd say that was surprising, I might get my arse kicked. I don't think either of those things are gonna happen. Training camp will be good. I haven't tested myself against this current crop of professional cyclists. I'll have opportunity to ride with the best in the world.

Is five weeks between the Giro and the Tour long enough for you to recover properly at the age of 37?

[Grinning]: I have no idea if it's long enough.

Who do you see as your main rivals?

They're all on our team. On paper, assuming I'm strong as ever, you could see all three of us on the podium. That would be pretty cool.

What does your mom think?

She's excited.

And how's Austin these days?

There's no paparazzi in Austin! It's a very involved community - they love the Tour but it doesn't prohibit me. I pick up my kids from school every day, I go to restaurants every day, I go to bars with my buddies - not every day!

How do you feel about your celebrity status?

I personally can't stand it. That's why I live here. If you want it you go live in New York or Los Angeles or London. It's not a way for me and my kids to live like that. And I'm an athlete.

Has the monastic lifestyle kicked in?

My weight is in a good place. I usually start at 80kg and I'm at 77 now and haven't even started the year. At the Tour I'm under 74kg. At the start of the season hopefully I'll have just a couple of kilos to lose - which makes it a lot easier.

ON OCTOBER 2 [Anniversary of getting cancer]

Do you still regard October 2 as the most significant day of each year for you - with regard to your recovery from cancer?

Each October 2 I think about it - and other days too. But that day most of all. It's a very significant day. It's more of a party now. This past October 2nd my focus was on the future but I still have a healthy respect for the disease. I know that there is a lot of men and women who 12 years later they can relapse. They get secondary cancer or something else happens. Nothing says that you get it once and we clear it up and you got the rest of your life to live perfectly happy and healthy. The fact is that my chances of having a relapse, a second malignancy, are far greater than yours. So I have a ton of respect for the disease.

How often are you tested for cancer?

At least once a year I get tested but now, with the blood tests we do, I always get the test, and my tumour test is like a pregnancy test so we just add that into the bloodwork. In the last five years I've been tested about 3-4 times a year.

Do you still get anxious before each test?

It becomes less intense each time. I think I'd only worry beforehand if I felt some sign. And then about a year ago I had vertigo. Have you ever had it? It's weird. I lay in bed and the whole room was spinning and I felt really bad. Vertigo can really mess with you. So I went to the doctor for my blood work and I had to wait a day … so that was difficult. I felt weak and vulnerable. I felt something was wrong.

You've said the threatened loss of life and the pain of cancer taught you more than anything else?

When people have cancer it's black and white - they live and they win. They lose and they die. I take that same mentality into sport - to win. My friends on the team were always quite surprised that I wasn't that excited to win. They'd say 'Aren't you excited? You just won the Tour de France for the seventh time?' I was 'Yeah, it's pretty cool.' It would have been very different if I had lost. But now if I'm able to win again, any race, it might be different this time round. We'll see.

ON WHETHER HE WILL BE BACK FOR MORE THAN ONE TOUR

Will this comeback last more than one season?

I just don't want any restrictions. It's at least one year.

Have you noticed that the times on recent Tours have been relatively slow?

You can look at L'Alpe d'Huez and compare. Nothing can have changed - like they rerouted the road which might make it null and void. Certain climbs like L'Alpe d'Huez, Ventoux they will look at the times and know. But it could have been windy, tactically lazy … and [Carlos] Sastre's time wasn't so bad. He attacked and he got a good time. The others - the record will show - were slow. But the tape will show that they were looking at each other, jockeying for position, and that naturally slows things. This is the tricky thing about cycling and people saying he's guilty or not guilty by looking at how fast he climbed. Cycling is a sport of equipment, of pavement, of tactics, there are a lot of factors. But cycling gets picked on. I love swimming - I'm a real pool junkie so I watched all the Olympics and these people were not just breaking world records they were smashing them. And did you say why? No1 the human body evolves, training evolves, we improve over time. Duh! Shocker. Two. The suits. The Technology - it's a huge advantage. No3 - the pool. That pool was clearly faster than my neighbourhood swimming pool. Phelps was clearly motivated and all of that stuff makes up for superhuman performances but no one says anything about that. If you go up L'Alpe d'Huez faster than anyone else then it's a case of clearly you've cheated. Another example - 1999 my climbing bike weighed 21 pounds. 2005 - 14 pounds. They make so much of the average speed - this is the fastest tour so clearly they doped. That's an easy thing to say. The tough to thing is to say they repaved every road on the Tour de France this year, they took out traffic islands, they rode deep dish aerodynamic where the bike is 10% faster. Hello? You're gonna ride faster. All that adds to higher speed.

RIDING WITH ANGER

I guess you remember your anger in 1998 - was it a bike trade show in Anaheim?

No. Chicago 1997. We announced I was coming back.

And you got no offers?

[Laughs bleakly] No.

Are you riding with a similar anger now, wanting to vindicate yourself?]

Not like then. I'm older now - although I'm still a pretty fiery guy. It's not like that. But it's similar because they're both comebacks. But then I really had my back against the wall. I really didn't have much then. Now, to be honest, look at my life [gestures to the house] I don't have to do this. I've gotta a lot of money and I've got a lot of comfortable things in my life. I want to do this. I want to do it for me. I want to do it for my Foundation. I want to do it for eight million people who are going to die around the world this year of cancer. I just want to do it. This is not a F-U to anyone else. I just want to do this for me.

Would it not have been simpler just to say you're doing this as a pure competitor? You will raise funds for cancer anyway but some people feel that you saying you're doing it for charity provides an in-built excuse if it doesn't go well on the bike?

Well, we had the plan, this initiative, that we've been working on for two years now. It helps if I'm on the bike going to Australia, Europe, America, Asia, Africa. My participation gives that initiative real leverage so it would have been a lie if I'd said this is all about me.

POLITICS

Are you excited about Obama?

As an athlete you try to remain neutral but I think it's exciting. I will say that. And without tipping my hat to who I voted for … a new president, period, was going to be exciting. He brings a lot of excitement but also a lot of expectations - which could present tricky ground for him. But as a survivor he has been affected by this disease so I hope he reverses this trend we've seen in the US. For many years in a row they've cut back [on cancer funding]. They haven't made this issue a priority.

What about George Bush?

There have been people and historians saying how he will be reviewed. But he is a very likeable man and very charismatic in person. But as historians say he will be judged on Iraq, Katrina and this economy and you can't look at any of those and say there's a lot of good stuff about those right now. But he's a tough guy, very convinced that he believes he is right …

I heard you're aiming to be governor of Texas in 2014 ...

[He laughs] I don't know. All of this politics opens your life up and I'm not sure I want that ... there you go!

For more information about the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which unites people fighting cancer and provides practical information and tools for those fighting the disease click here