London: Lance Armstrong is living an unbothered and positive life 18 months after confessing to using performance-enhancing drugs, the disgraced cyclist told CNN.
A cancer survivor and hero to millions, Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France victories and banned for life from racing in 2012 by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency after it accused him in a report of engineering one of the most sophisticated doping schemes in sports.
The investigation and later admission to doping destroyed Armstrong`s reputation and career but the 42-year-old American says he has been able to go about his daily life without being taunted or heckled for what he did.
"I never get crap, not once, and I`m surprised by that,” Armstrong told CNN (http://edition.cnn.com/SPORT/.com) on Tuesday.
"Sure, I sometimes get the vibe that someone wants to say something but it`s never happened."
While day-to-day life is good for Armstrong, the cyclist`s problems are far from over as he and his team of lawyers prepare to face several civil lawsuits that could drain the fortune he accumulated as one of the world`s most popular and successful athletes.
In June a federal judge rejected Armstrong`s bid to dismiss a whistleblower lawsuit claiming that he and his former cycling team, which the U.S. Postal Service had sponsored, defrauded the government in a scheme to use banned, performance-enhancing drugs.
A still defiant Armstrong, however, claims the U.S. Postal Service benefitted hugely from the exposure it got from its sponsorship and that the lawsuit had been brought too late.
"I`m very confident that that`s a winner for us," said Armstrong. "I don`t think anyone can truly argue the U.S. Postal Service was damaged.
"They made a lot of money in the deal and got what they bargained for.
"I worked my ass off for them and I`m proud of it. Furthermore there wasn`t a technical relationship
between myself and the U.S. Postal Service.”
Reuters
First Published: Tuesday, August 19, 2014, 21:48
