Lance Armstrong Admits Fears Over Trial - and Compares Himself to Voldemort

Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong has compared himself to the Harry Potter character Voldemort, and spoken of his fears of financial ruin in the $100m whistleblower case launched by his former US Postal team-mate Floyd Landis.

Armstrong also attacked the UCI president Brian Cookson's criticism of him as he prepares to go ahead with a controversial charity ride of the Tour de France route.

Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life nearly three years ago for doping offences, which he denied until January 2013 when he confessed wrongdoing in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Earlier this year, Armstrong told the BBC he would cheat again if he had the chance, but added he thought he should be forgiven, and he reiterated that stance in interviews with the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph .

He likened his treatment to that of the fictional Voldemort, who derives fear from the magic community in JK Rowling's novels to the extent that hardly any character dares utter his name.

"I'm that character in Harry Potter they can't talk about," he said. "Voldemort? It's as if you can't mention him. I'm the one everybody wants to pretend never lived. But that will not be the case forever because it can't be the case forever.

That won't work, people aren't stupid. I mean, I tried to make it right with every one of those people...I can only do so much."

Asked about the federal court case pending against him, Armstrong told his interviewers:

"The whistleblower case is a $100m case. We would not be sitting at this table any more. We wouldn't be sitting in this home any more. We wouldn't be sitting in any home. I don't have $100m. He added, though, that he "likes" his case.

"In a whistleblower case you have to show real tangible harm. The Postal Service commissioned studies in 2004 that showed it made $100m. There were years when it was making upwards of $20m a year in new business, before we had even started to race.

So when you start to add all these things up, here is the question: 'Where are the damages?'"

He insisted he will tell all.

"Certainly in my depositions and hearings in the trial for the federal case, at this point in my life, I'm not lying, I'm not going to jail. I'm not leaving what I got going on. And they would. If they found out I had lied, they would absolutely move for that. They would love it, love it."

Richard Williams Armstrong also took aim at cycling's world governing body head Cookson, who branded the Texan "completely disrespectful" for looking to ride the Tour de France route this summer for charity.

Cookson suggested Armstrong "would be well-advised not to take part" in the former England footballer Geoff Thomas's charity fundraising mission.

Thomas has convinced Armstrong to take part in his charity event, riding the Tour route one day ahead of the professional peloton. Cookson said the UCI has no authority to stop Armstrong's bid, but urged the American to think again.

Armstrong said: "I mean, I don't know Brian Cookson. I don't know what his vision is for the sport. I don't know if he is even able to form a vision. But I do know that me and Geoff riding in France is the least of his problems.

If he is making public comments - and this is as strong as I'll go - he needs to be talking about other things because this sport is not in a good place for a variety of reasons. A lot of it has to do - perhaps some would say - with me. But he doesn't need to worry about this."

And as he prepares to ride in France again, Armstrong is resolute that he will not get a frosty reception.

"People think I have this bitter relationship with the country, with its people," he said.

"I like going there. I love France ... I could be wrong, I've been wrong plenty in my life, but I've been to France since all this happened and if you walk into a cafe or a restaurant or walk down the street that [negativity] is not the reaction I get. God forbid the reaction is positive. What happens then?"