Contrary to reports, Lance Armstrong has no intention of buying the Tour de France, the champion cyclist confirmed to Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush Wednesday morning.
In an interview for Access and “The Billy Bush Show,” Armstrong shot down rumors which suggested he is looking to buy the competition he won a record seven consecutive times.
“Is there any truth to that [rumor]?” Billy asked.
“I don’t think so,” Lance replied. “I guess you could put together the group to invest, to buy it, to put together the money, but we don’t have that kind of money. It’s obviously a huge corporation. Secondly, I don’t think they’d sell it to an American, much less a Texan.”
“It is not true that we’re looking at buying the Tour, or buying the parent company,” he added.
Earlier this month, Lance announced he would return to the Tour de France in the hopes of securing a record eighth win.
While speaking with Billy, the athlete and testicular cancer survivor did confirm rumors he has a doctor on his team, who will monitor his progress.
“It is true that I retained, or asked Don Catlin [M.D.], who’s really one of the foremost researchers in the anti-doping movement, to come in, oversee this whole program, oversee my performances, oversee the blood results, the urine results, all of the testing associated with it, just so that in the off chance that I can ride fast and I’m successful again, that there not be any doubt as to how that was achieved,” he said.
Lance has always denied the use of performance enhancing drugs despite a number of reports, many out of France, where the Tour is held, claiming otherwise.
Don Catlin, according to his faculty bio at UCLA, focuses his research on drug misuse in sports.
“Don’s tough,” Lance told Billy. “He said, ‘Listen, if you break the rules,’ which I didn’t plan on doing anyway, ‘if you break the rules you’re gonna get caught.’ So I’m glad he’s on board. I trust him, I think the media will trust him, the people will trust him, hopefully the Europeans and the French will trust him.”
Lance also told Billy he is thrilled to be back in the race, but knows his age is a consideration.
“I’m gonna be nearly 38 years old, and if I were to win again I would be by far and away the oldest person to ever win the Tour de France,” he said. “I can’t kid myself, those things don’t lie. The good news, however, is mentally I’m very fresh, I’m ready to train hard, I’m ready to work hard, I’m ready to do whatever it takes.”
And his buddy, and occasional training partner, Matthew McConaughey, is cheering him on all the way.
“He’s excited! Ask him – he’s been on the record. [He said], ‘I wouldn’t bet against him,’” Lance noted.
In fact, just two weeks ago, Matthew said those very words to Access Hollywood.
“I’m happy he is going back to do it. And he is going back to win it,” the “Surfer, Dude” star said. “He’s got the strongest mind of a guy I’ve ever met. Whatever he sets his mind to do it, I’m gonna bet on it.”
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