Lance Armstrong said he felt "ashamed and humbled" during the second round of his interview with Oprah. He said he would like to return to competitive sport, and became emotional whilst talking of the impact of the scandal on his family.
When asked how his mother was handling the situation Lance Armstrong said he did not realise how badly she was handling the situation until he saw her.
He said of his mother: "She's a wreck. She is not the type of person who would call me up and say that.
"But my stepfather called me up and said 'your mom is having a really hard time'. I saw my mom, and I thought, 'Oh this woman is a wreck'. It took seeing her to really understand that this has taken a toll on her life."
Lance Armstrong cannot expect to be redeemed after his brief TV confession. Names must be named.
Tyler Hamilton, a former team-mate of Lance Armstrong who implicated him in the doping scandal, has told ITV News, "I'm proud of him".
The self-flagellation makes for gripping television but it does not really amount to much in the long run.