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Banned cycling star Lance Armstrong has told fans: "Nobody needs to cry for me, I’m going to be great."
He talked to reporters after taking part in an amateur mountain bike race in Colorado, where he was beaten by 16-year-old Keegan Swirbul.
It was the first time he has spoken publicly since the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) disciplined him with a lifetime ban from professional cycling and vacated his seven Tour de France titles.
He said: "It's not so much about racing anymore for me. For me, it's more about staying fit and coming out here and enjoying one of the most beautiful parts of the world, on a beautiful day, on a very hard course.
"Some may say you're a little sick to spend your free time doing stuff like this. I had a good time."
He finished in second place, some five minutes behind Swirbul.
"It's cool to get your butt kicked by a 16-year-old when you know he has a bright future," Armstrong joked.
When asked if there was anything he wanted to say to his fans, he said: “I think people understand that we've got a lot of stuff to do going forward.
"I'm focused on the future. I've got five great kids, a great lady in my life, a wonderful foundation that's completely unaffected by any noise out there, and we're going to continue to do our job."
Swirbul said that beating his idol was the highlight of his fledgling career.
"I'm so psyched right now, I wanted to win this race so bad, to beat the 7-time tour champ."
Armstrong, who retired a year ago and turns 41 next month, said on Thursday he would no longer challenge USADA and declined to exercise his last option by entering arbitration.
He denied again that he took banned substances in his career, calling USADA's investigation a "witch hunt" without any physical evidence.
The agency’s chief executive Travis Tygart described the investigation as a battle against a "win-at-all-cost culture," adding that the International Cycling Union was "bound to recognize our decision and impose it."
