Disgraced former cycling champion Lance Armstrong claims his stepfather beat him as a child and he once paid the bill for a group who abused him for being a cheater.
More details of the drug cheat's upbringing were aired in part one of the new ESPN 30 for 30 series LANCE, drawing links between Armstrong's bullying tactics and his upbringing in Texas.
Armstrong's stepfather, Terry, corroborated the claims and confirmed he used corporal punishment in an attempt to mould the seven-time Tour de France champion's personality.
Terry said he drove Armstrong "like an animal" and tried to take credit for his ruthless attitude.
"Lance would not be the champion he is today without me because I drove him," Terry Armstrong said. "I drove him like an animal. That's the only thing I feel bad about. Did I make him too much 'win at all costs?'"
The disgraced doper disagreed with his assessment, saying his stepfather was "kind of terrible" and would " beat the s--- out of me."
"Sure enough, I would leave a drawer open, and he would pull out his fraternity paddle and just beat the [expletive] out of me," Lance said.
Lance's mother was just 17 when she gave birth to him but left his biological father not long after because he was "abusive". After she severed ties with his dad, Lance's mum married Terry Armstrong, who legally adopted Lance when he was around three.
Terry admitted his style of parenting often clashed with Lance and his first inclination was to lean on his military school background.
"It was bend over and take your licks," he said.
"I was a taskmaster but I didn't put my arms around him enough and tell him I loved him. I was always there, always coaching him, always pushing him. But I didn't show him the love that I should have."
Lance took on Terry's last name but thought about changing it when his mother divorced Terry when he was 15. But he didn't. The name Armstrong ended up being pivotal in branding the former cyclist an American hero who fought testicular cancer and won.
Plus Armstrong's biological father's name was Eddie Gunderson, who died in 2012. Lance said despite his uneasy relationship with his stepfather, he decided to keep the name.
"I was already establishing myself and my career and brand or whatever that means," he said. "I like the name Lance Armstrong. I think that's a good name. It's better than Lance Gunderson. That's kind of a weird name."
The documentary opened with a story about how Armstrong's life had changed so much after news of his serial doping and bullying had been made public. He went from being a public hero to public enemy.
"When my life took the turn that it took, I said to myself, everywhere that I go for the rest of my life, somebody's going to walk up to me and say 'f— you,'" the 48-year-old Armstrong said.
"So a couple of days go by and nobody said 'f—k you.' Then months go by. And years ago by. I always know when somebody wants to say it. But nobody does. So, it took five years…
"I was staying in this rental house. I called an Uber. He pulls up on the street right in front of the bar. We cross the street and this guy stands up and shouts, 'Hey, Lance.' "I'm like, 'What's up man?' He goes, 'F—k you! F—k you!'
"The next thing you know, he's with six or seven people and they all stand up and start going, 'F—k you! You f—king cheater.' My friend said, 'Get in the car right now.' She's thinking I'm about to walk over there and punch the s—t out of this guy. Which would have obviously been a bad idea.
"I'd have done that most of my life. I was shocked and mad. I have to do something. Me, Lance Armstrong, doesn't let s—t like that happen. I called the bar. Here's my credit card number.
"Whatever they are eating, whatever they are drinking, I don't care how expensive — it's on me. Under one condition. You have to say, 'Guys, Lance took care of everything. And he sends his love.'
It wasn't the first time Armstrong had told that story according to the film's director Marina Zenovich.
She said much of his history is met with suspicion so she decided to chase up the details of the incident, which took place in Denver.
"I actually went to the bar and filmed at the bar and ended up not using it," she told USA TODAY. "I filmed with the bartender who was working that night."
The documentary also covers how bleak Armstrong's prospects looked when he admitted to Oprah Winfrey in 2013 that he cheated to win his Tour de France titles.
Armstrong made roughly $200 million throughout his career but everything came to a halt within "48 hours" with sponsors cutting him loose immediately.
He was even booted from his own foundation Livestrong.
Amid deepening legal troubles, the cancer survivor seemed like he was on a fast track to financial ruin, with every stream of revenue drying up.
Fortunately an investment Armstrong made in 2009 was just starting to bear fruit at the same time.
He dropped some cash in a venture capital fund that bought into Uber Technologies and it proved to be a massive lifeline for the American.
His $US100,000 investment has made him about $US20 million, according to Bloomberg.
from WWOS http://wwos.nine.com.au/news/lance-armstrong-says-step-father-beat-him/16ac3a3d-c305-4e8c-8d0e-98ba4fa05418
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