Lance Armstrong insists he ‘would not change a thing’ about doping shame that saw him stripped of seven Tour de France titles

Lance Armstrong has caused controversy after insisting he “would not change a thing” about his systematic doping that led to him being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles.

The American, 47, was banned from the sport for life in 2012 with the International Cycling Union ratifying the US Anti-Doping Agency’s sanctions.

After coming clean about his persistent cheating in 2013 with an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Armstrong has rebuilt himself in the media, but insists there are no regrets.

“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 told NBCSN ahead of a 30-minute interview set to air next Wednesday called ‘Lance Armstrong: Next Stage’.

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

“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.”