Armour: Lies of Lance Armstrong keep coming

There is no end to Lance Armstrong's lies and deceit.

Ever since he 'fessed up to all those years of doping, Armstrong has insisted he was no different than other cyclists, that he cheated because it was the only way he could compete. But a damning new report from the Cycling Independent Reform Commission (CIRC) exposes that as yet another stretch of the truth.

Armstrong wasn't trying to level the playing field, he was trying to level the field period. He cheated to get ahead, then used the "special relationship" he had with cycling's highest officials to discredit anyone who dared question or challenge him. He doped with impunity, knowing there was no one to stop him and, on the off chance he did get caught, that cycling would defend him with the vigor it should have shown in protecting the integrity of the sport.

"His influence was so great, he basically told the sport how to administer its rules," Anne Gripper, the International Cycling Union's (UCI) former anti-doping manager, said in a November 2012 interview that was quoted in the report.

It's tempting to greet the CIRC report with a shrug, and ask why it matters now. Armstrong has been disgraced, stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from the sport for life. His fortune is dwindling, the lawsuits brought on by his many lies stripping him of his millions. He is a social pariah, and even the good work he did on behalf of cancer patients is viewed with cynicism.

But the CIRC report is important because it reveals the lengths Armstrong and his cronies were willing to go to perpetuate what is arguably the greatest lie in sports history. And it is a cautionary tale for anyone tempted to believe Armstrong has discovered sincerity or humility at this late stage in the game.

A supposedly independent investigation into allegations that Armstrong had doped in the 1999 Tour may as well have been led by Armstrong's lawyers and agent for all of the influence they had on it, according to CIRC's findings. His attorney actually wrote parts of the report, not only to protect Armstrong but to redirect the fury and the blame at the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Take a minute and think about that. The very person suspected of wrongdoing helped craft the verdict that exonerated him and presented an alternate suspect. That's the kind of justice dictators would love.

But that's essentially what Armstrong was.

Cycling was desperate for a positive spin after several ugly doping scandals, and Armstrong may as well have been sent from central casting. Not only had he survived testicular cancer, through sheer will power and hard work alone he had come back to win one of the toughest tests in all of sports.

"The primary concern was the commercial and international development of cycling and the arrival of Lance Armstrong was an extraordinary opportunity, a real success story, and the UCI closed its eyes to the rest," the CIRC report said, quoting an unnamed source.

(Former UCI president Hein Verbruggen's claim that the CIRC report shows there was no complicity or cover-up is simply laughable.)

Armstrong was vicious in the defense of his lies, destroying anyone who questioned him. Often, the centerpiece of his defense was that report, the one CIRC found had all the authenticity of a fairy tale.

To hear him tell it now, though, Armstrong was as much a victim as anyone else.

"It is my hope that revealing the truth will lead to a bright, dope-free future for the sport I love, and will allow all young riders emerging from small towns throughout the world in years to come to chase their dreams without having to face the lose-lose choices that so many of my friends, teammates and opponents faced," Armstrong, who cooperated with CIRC, said Sunday in a statement.

"I hope that all riders who competed and doped can feel free to come forward and help the tonic of truth heal this great sport."

"Tonic of truth." Interesting choice of words for the man who willingly pumped his body full of performance-enhancing drugs and, in doing so, forced others to do the same. Problem is, with Armstrong, his tonic of truth might very well be snake oil.

GALLERY: Lance Armstrong through the years