Lance Armstrong, who has spent years denying that he ever doped as a cyclist, has "confessed that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his cycling career, according to two people briefed on [Armstrong’s forthcoming interview with Oprah Winfrey], which was recorded [today, Monday, Jan. 14, 2013] in Austin, Texas," reports Juliet Macur on the website of  The New York Times.

The story continues: "Acknowledging his doping past has cleared the way for Armstrong to take the next step in trying to mitigate his lifetime ban from Olympic sports. He is planning to testify against several powerful people in the sport of cycling who knew about his doping and possibly facilitated it, said several people with knowledge of the situation.

"Armstrong, 41, is planning to testify against officials from the International Cycling Union, the worldwide governing body of cycling, about their involvement with doping in cycling, but he will not testify against other riders, according to the people familiar with his plans."

The Associated Press also reports that it was tipped to Armstrong’s confession to Oprah. The AP story adds that Winfrey is scheduled to appear on "CBS This Morning" on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013, to discuss the interview.

The NY Times story adds that Armstrong is "also in discussions with the United States Department of Justice to possibly testify in a federal whistle-blower case. That case involves the cycling team sponsored by the United States Postal Service, and Armstrong would testify against several of the team’s owners, including the investment banker Thom Weisel, and other officials, one person close to the situation said. That person did not want his name published because the case is still open."

The Times story notes that "before heading to the Winfrey interview in downtown Austin, Armstrong stopped at the headquarters of Livestrong and apologized to the staff, saying he was sorry for letting everyone down and for putting so much stress on the organization because of his doping scandal.

"He did not confess to using performance-enhancing drugs, but spoke for about 20 minutes in the organization’s boardroom, eliciting tears from some of the employees, said Rae Bazzarre, a spokeswoman for Livestrong."

Winfrey’s interview with Armstrong is scheduled to air on OWN in two parts, this Thursday and Friday, Jan 17-18, 2013.

The Times article said nothing about any specific questions or answers that transpired during the interview.

For further details about this story we strongly urge you to click on the links above to the original stories reported by The New York Times and the AP.