Lance Armstrong Admits to Doping in Interview with Oprah

After years of bitter and forceful denials, the ex-Tour de France champion offered a simple “I’m sorry” to friends and colleagues and then admitted he used performance-enhancing drugs during an extraordinary cycling career that included seven Tour de France victories.

According to sources, Armstrong confessed to doping during an interview with Oprah Winfrey taped Monday, just a couple of hours after an emotional apology to the staff at the Livestrong charity he founded and was later forced to surrender. The ex-seven time Tour de France winner has finally come clean after battling the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency allegations that Armstrong has been using PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs) and wiped away Armstrong's victories from 1999-2005.

The cyclist was stripped of his Tour de France titles, lost most of his endorsements and was forced to leave Livestrong last year after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency issued a 1,000-page report that accused him of masterminding a long-running doping scheme.

The confession was a stunning reversal for the proud athlete and celebrity who sought lavish praise in the court of public opinion and used courtrooms to punish his critics. It's only up from here and with Armstrong's confession, hopefully he can begin to finally restore his name and creditability.