FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, May 23rd, 2019

“LANCE ARMSTRONG: NEXT STAGE” A CONVERSATION WITH NBC SPORTS’ MIKE TIRICO DEBUTS WEDNESDAY, MAY 29 AT 11:30 PM ET ON NBCSN

30-Minute, Commercial-Free Special Debuts Next Wednesday Night Following NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 2

“I wouldn’t change a thing. I wouldn’t change the way I acted. I mean I would, but this is a longer answer.” — Lance Armstrong

Armstrong Overcame Cancer to Win First of 7 Consecutive Tour de France Competitions (Later Vacated) 20 Years Ago This Summer

STAMFORD, Conn. – May 23, 2019 – Controversial former cycling champion Lance Armstrong, a seven-time Tour de France winner who later had his titles stripped, discusses his career and the decisions he made throughout, and talks about how he sees things differently now than he did even a few years ago, in an extensive discussion with NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico.

“Lance Armstrong: Next Stage,” a 30-minute, commercial-free special, will debut next Wednesday, May 29 at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, following NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 2.

Armstrong overcame cancer to win the first of his seven consecutive Tour de France competitions 20 years ago this summer in 1999. All seven titles were vacated by the International Cycling Union in 2012.

“I wouldn’t change a thing. I wouldn’t change the way I acted. I mean I would, but this is a longer answer. Primarily, I wouldn’t change the lessons that I’ve learned. I don’t learn all the lessons if I don’t act that way. I don’t get investigated and sanctioned if I don’t act the way I acted. If I just doped and didn’t say a thing, none of that would have happened. None of it. I was begging for, I was asking for them to come after me. It was an easy target.” – Armstrong to Tirico in Lance Armstrong: Next Stage

In the conversation, Armstrong talks about why he got into cycling, recalls the first time he used a banned substance, and discusses the doping culture in the sport when he competed.

“We did what we had to do to win. It wasn’t legal, but I wouldn’t change a thing: whether it’s losing a bunch of money, going from hero to zero.” — Armstrong

In addition, Armstrong details surprising favorite memories of the Tour, his doping admission in a 2013 interview with Oprah Winfrey, and how he’d respond to a young athlete contemplating following a similar path to his.

Armstrong also touches on his separation from Livestrong and what he does now to help others with cancer, why his podcasts are unique and “a lot of haters listen to the show,” and what’s next for him.

 

–NBC SPORTS–