Disgraced Lance Armstrong launches counter-attack in desperate bid to regain relevance

SHORN of credibility, embattled Lance Armstrong retains his most lethal quality - sharply honed opportunism.

Lance Armstrong is now plotting how to maximise his last shot at relevance, not redemption

SHORN of credibility, influence and seven Tour de France titles, embattled Lance Armstrong retains his most lethal quality - sharply honed opportunism.

As cycling prepares to formally rake over its darkest era, Armstrong is preparing to launch a counter-attack as withering as any he unleashed during his discredited career.

Exposed as a cheat, Armstrong hopes to participate at next year's independent truth and reconciliation commission into doping, still blithely ignorant to the damage he continues to rain on contemporary riders.

Desperate for his life ban to be commuted, Armstrong is now plotting how to maximise his last shot at relevance, not redemption.

Armstrong's targets are likely to include any team officials, riders and administrators he alleges to be complicit in sport's most sinister fraud, the sham ruthlessly orchestrated by the conniving American.

The caveat with Armstrong - now as ever - is why should he be believed now when, for so long, he hoodwinked, bullied and ostracised those who doubted, much less accused him of cheating?

Cycling's new broom, brandished by the UCI's impressively committed Brian Cookson, needs the truth to be told.

The current generation of riders are tarnished at every reference to the infamous doping era.

By necessity, Armstrong has to be involved. He therefore has leverage.

As with all things in Armstrong's world, ambition and opportunity are inseparable.

Faced with a phalanx of law suits, and diminishing wealth, Armstrong wants to have the last word - and, doubtlessly, revenge.

If his version of what really happened during his treacherous seven-year Tour de France reign is aired in formal surroundings, all hell will break loose. Again.

News_Rich_Media: Outgoing WADA president John Fahey says it would take a miracle for disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong's life ban to be overturned.

Armstrong will have weighed risk and reward.

Since he has nothing to lose, expect nobody to be spared.

Armstrong knows the commission is his final chance to extract something from the wreckage he - along with innumerable race directors around the world - created.

But there is a price.

He has already been warned a potential amnesty requires the input of "extraordinary evidence."

Unlike many of his fawning predecessors, Cookson is unafraid of Armstrong.

"To paraphrase something Lance once said, extraordinary situations can sometimes require extraordinary solutions, and he may be in a position where he can provide extraordinary evidence that will help those solutions," Cookson said.

"It would be helpful if Lance Armstrong was able to give evidence to it (truth and reconciliation commission), but it's not absolutely essential.

"We know pretty much all of what Lance was involved in. The areas where there is more to know about is around the other people involved in those activities at that time and that would be interesting to find out.

"I'm talking more about the doctors, the coaches, the facilitators and so on. But, above all, I think the most important thing is the allegations that have been made about cover-ups and collusion at the UCI in the past."

For some in Australia, those cover-ups, collusions and cosy deals might mean life is about to become suddenly a little uncomfortable.

One thing is certain. Armstrong will go to the commission intent on playing hard ball and if that means saving his neck by giving up a dirty secret, he won't hesitate.

He remains the Great Opportunist.

ARMSTRONG CLAIMS UCI CHIEF COVERED UP DOPING