Lance Armstrong has spoken out publicly for the first time since the US Anti-Doping Agency released its report accusing him of doping.
The disgraced seven-time Tour de France winner was speaking at a dinner celebrating the 15th anniversary of his cancer charity Livestrong. He thanked his supporters for helping him through what he described as 'a difficult couple of weeks'.
'Thank you so much for your support. It means the world to me, to all of us,' he said.
'The mission is bigger than me. It's bigger than any individual. We will not be deterred, we will move forward, and we will continue to serve the 28 million people around the world that need us the most.
'I am truly humbled by your support. It's been a difficult couple of weeks for me and my family, my friends and this foundation. I've been better but I've also been worse.'
Armstrong stepped down as chairman of Livestrong earlier this week in an attempt to deflect the negative publicity generated by the USADA's findings away from the charity he founded.
The 41-year-old continues to deny he ever used performance-enhancing drugs during his career and did not directly address the report's findings in his speech.
