Lance Armstrong finally admits doping in Tour de France

Lance Armstrong last night reportedly admitted using performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France.

The disgraced cyclist is said to have confessed in an interview with American TV chat show queen Oprah Winfrey which is scheduled to be broadcast on Thursday.

Armstrong earlier visited the staff of his charity the Livestrong Foundation at the Texas offices to apologise for putting their work at risk.

Several employees cried when he told them: ‘I’m sorry.’

'He had a private conversation with the staff, who have done the important work of the foundation for many years,' Livestrong Foundation spokeswoman Katherine McLane was quoted as saying by Reuters.

'It was a very sincere and heartfelt expression of regret over any stress that they've suffered over the course of the last few years as a result of the media attention,' she added.

He promised he would try to restore the foundation’s reputation - before meeting his legal team to prepare for the Oprah interview.

After the interview, Winfrey tweeted: 'Just wrapped with @lancearmstrong More than 2 1/2 hours. He came READY!'

Winfrey and her crew planned on filming Monday's session at Armstrong's home. As a result, local and international news crews were camped near the cyclist's Spanish-style villa before dawn.