NEW YORK – Lance Armstrong says no-one “needs to cry” for him despite being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).The 40-year-old American, who maintains his innocence, was also banned for life by the USADA on Friday.In his first public appearance since announcing he would no longer fight the charges, Armstrong finished second in a 36-mile mountain bike race in Colorado. “Nobody needs to cry for me, I’m going to be great,” Armstrong said.“I have five great kids and a wonderful lady in my life. My [charitable] foundation is unaffected by all the noise out there.“I think people understand that we’ve got a lot of stuff to do going forward. That’s what I’m focused on and I think people are supportive of that.”The USADA says it has more than 12 witnesses, up to 10 of whom are believed to be former team-mates of Armstrong, who agreed to testify and give evidence that the Texan used performance-enhancing drugs and encouraged others to do so.Armstrong issued a statement on Friday saying he would no longer contest USADA’s charges, explaining he was tired of fighting the allegations. He never failed a drugs test.
