WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Former Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong finally confessed to doping in an interview with Oprah Winfrey on Monday, USA Today reported.

The newspaper cited an anonymous source but did not give more details. Neither Winfrey nor Armstrong would confirm the report.

Winfrey, however, tweeted about her two and a half hours interview with Armstrong.

"He came READY!" she tweeted.

The interview will be aired on her OWN cable network and its website on Thursday night.

Armstrong, 41, has rigorously denied using performance-enhancing drugs and had never tested positive to a doping test. But the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency released a 1,000-page report full of details depicting Armstrong as a drug abuser and a bully to pressure his teammates to do so when he rode for the U.S. Postal Service Team and Discovery Channel Team.

The report released in October last year effectively shattered the reputation of the cancer survivor and cycling king, whose competition results dated back to Aug. 1998 were erased and who was banned for life.

He was also forced to step down as the chairman of the cancer foundation Livestrong which he founded in 1997.

It was reported that Armstrong stopped at his Livestrong Foundation before heading to the interview with Winfrey on Monday and delivered an emotional apology to staff members.

The Associated Press cited a person with direct knowledge of the meeting that Armstrong addressed the staff and said, "I'm sorry."

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