Cycling: Doping confession cost Lance Armstrong $100 million, there could be more

It's been five years since Lance Armstrong admitted he'd taken performance-enhancing drugs to Oprah and the truth continues to cost him.

Close to $100 million, according to US media.

The New York Post reported on Thursday (NZT) Armstrong's confession had cost the former seven-time Tour de France winner "in excess of 100 mil" – referring to quote from an email the disgraced cyclist sent USA Today.

Before the airing of his coming clean in 2013, where he gave a simple "yes" after being asked if he had taken banned substances in his career, Armstrong had attacked at every mention that his medals weren't honestly won – fighting to maintain the image of him as a cancer survivor who fairly fought back to capture seven Tour titles.

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But, within four months of saying "yes" to Oprah, Armstrong had five lawsuits on his hands, USA Today reported.

Armstrong offered apologies, but they weren't well received.

Three-time Tour de France champion Greg LeMond had accused Armstrong of doping and said Armstrong then tried to ruin him, with LeMond's brand of bike suffering as a distribution company pulled out of its agreement over the Armstrong allegation.

LeMond's wife, Kathy, said Armstrong's apology wasn't much of one.

"I wouldn't say it was a heartfelt apology," Kathy LeMond told USA Today. "It was a meeting, and I think he hoped to defuse us continuing this."

However, the New York Post reported an apology never came for Irish journalist David Walsh. Walsh printed a story in 2004 containing doping allegations, and Armstrong successfully sued the Sunday Times of London for a million pounds.

The two parties settled another lawsuit in 2013 with a pay-out after the cyclist's confession.

"My feeling is that Lance believed this was enough," Walsh told the New York Post. "I never wanted an apology and never expected one — so I wasn't disappointed. But I thought his telling Oprah Winfrey that he would apologise to me was very funny from the interview because he was almost coerced into saying something he never wanted to say."

But, the suits go on for Armstrong.

The US government is suing him for $100 million on behalf of the US Postal Service, which paid US$32.3 million to sponsor Armstrong's team from 2000 to 2004.

USA Today asked Armstrong if he had any comment about the people he has wronged and the apologies that some felt haven't come.

"No comment," he responded.

"And no need to ever contact me again."