Oprah Winfrey: Lance Armstrong interview will satisfy viewers [View all]

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Oprah Winfrey: Lance Armstrong interview will satisfy viewers
January 15, 2013
By Associated Press

NEW YORK — Oprah Winfrey says she and her TV crew were "mesmerized and riveted" by some of Lance Armstrong's answers during a 2 1/2-hour interview in which the cyclist acknowledged using performance-enhancing drugs.

Speaking on "CBS This Morning," Winfrey talked about how Monday's interview was arranged over a lunch with Armstrong in Hawaii and said he seemed ready to answer tough questions about drug use during a career in which he won seven Tour de France titles — victories now stripped from him.

Describing Armstrong's demeanor, Winfrey says, "I felt that he was thoughtful, I thought that he was serious, I thought that he certainly had prepared for this moment. I would say that he met the moment." She says she was "satisfied" with the answers.

Winfrey adds that no lawyers were allowed in the room during the interview and that during a break Armstrong asked if there would be a point when the questions would lighten up.

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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324734904578241801441261928.html

Updated January 15, 2013, 9:06 a.m. ET
Behind Lance Armstrong's Decision to Talk
By REED ALBERGOTTI And VANESSA O'CONNELL

Last month, Lance Armstrong boarded a plane for Denver to do something several of his lawyers had advised against: sitting down for a private conversation with the head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

Travis Tygart had given the star cyclist no reason to believe that USADA would soften the lifetime ban from elite competition for what the agency called the "most sophisticated doping program on the planet." But Mr. Armstrong hoped he could change that.

At the meeting near the Denver airport, Mr. Armstrong talked openly about doping, arguing that cheating was rampant in all pro sports, including the National Football League, according to someone familiar with the meeting. He complained that he was being singled out for punishment. As the discussion wound down without Mr. Tygart budging, the seven-time Tour de France winner seemed ready to walk out.