Lance Armstrong admitted 'doping ' claims ?!

 Lance Armstrong, the seven-time winner of the Tour de France, has reportedly admitted to Oprah Winfrey that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his professional cycling career.

The confession emerged hours after Armstrong finished taping a highly-anticipated interview with Winfrey, which is due to air in the US on Thursday.

A person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press that Armstrong, who for years has denied doping, admitted to Winfrey that he used performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France.

Neither Winfrey nor Armstrong confirmed the report. “We are not confirming any specific details regarding the interview at this time,” a spokesman for Oprah`s network OWN told Reuters.

Armstrong was stripped of all seven Tour titles last year in the wake of a voluminous US Anti-Doping Agency report that portrayed him as a ruthless competitor, willing to go to any lengths to win the prestigious race.

Travis Tygart, USADA chief executive, labelled the doping regimen allegedly carried out by the US Postal Service team that Armstrong once led, “The most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen.”

After a federal investigation of the cyclist was dropped without charges being brought last year, USADA stepped in with an investigation of its own.
The agency deposed 11 former teammates and accused Armstrong of masterminding a complex and brazen drug program that included steroids, blood boosters and a range of other performance-enhancing drugs.

Following the interview, Winfrey tweeted: “Just wrapped with @lancearmstrong More than 2 1/2 hours. He came READY!” She was scheduled to appear on “CBS This Morning” on Tuesday to discuss the interview.

In a text to the AP on Saturday, Armstrong said: “I told her (Winfrey) to go wherever she wants and I`ll answer the questions directly, honestly and candidly. That`s all I can say.”
On his way to the recording with Winfrey, Armstrong had stopped at the Livestrong Foundation, which he founded, and said, “I`m sorry” to staff members, some of whom broke down in tears. A person with knowledge of that session said Armstrong choked up and several employees cried during the session.

Armstrong apologised for letting the staff down and putting Livestrong at risk but he did not make a direct confession to using banned drugs. He said he would try to restore the foundation's reputation, and urged the group to continue fighting for the charity's mission of helping cancer patients and their families.