ASPEN, Colo. - Lance Armstrong was feeling just fine even after being beaten by a lanky teenager in a grueling 36-mile mountain bike race.
Better than fine, even. He's more at ease now than he has been in a decade.
In his first interview since the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency disciplined Armstrong with a lifetime ban from professional cycling and vacated his seven Tour de France titles, he said, "Nobody needs to cry for me. I'm going to be great."
Armstrong couldn't catch Keegan Swirbul at the Power of Four bike race Saturday, finishing nearly five minutes behind the hard-charging kid.
"It's cool to get your butt kicked by a 16-year-old when you know he has a bright future," Armstrong said, smiling.
For a few hours, Armstrong was back in his element - on a bike and in a race. No controversies weighing him down, either. The escape into the mountains around Aspen was almost refreshing.
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As for what lies ahead, Armstrong wasn't thinking that far - only toward lunch. He chatted for a few minutes, then said, "OK, I'm going to go eat a cheeseburger."
Before leaving, though, he posed for pictures with the throng of fans that gathered at the finish.
Asked if there was anything he would to say to his fans, he said: "I think people understand that we've got a lot of stuff to do going forward. That's what I'm focused on and I think people are supportive of that. It's great to be out here."
Decked out in black and gold and sporting a Livestrong emblem on his jersey, Armstrong tinkered with his bike before racing and gave a kiss to girlfriend Anna Hansen, who was at the finish line, too.
His weekend was supposed to include a trail marathon Sunday. But he said two hours later he was going to skip the race. The mountain bike race took too much out of him. With good reason, given all the climbing the cyclists had to do.
And while Armstrong may be banned from cycling, it certainly hasn't diminished his passion for competition. Only now, weekend races may have to suffice.
"It's not so much about racing anymore for me," Armstrong said. "For me, it's more about staying fit and coming out here and enjoying one of the most beautiful parts of the world, on a beautiful day, on a very hard course.
Armstrong, who retired a year ago and turns 41 next month, said Thursday he would no longer challenge USADA and declined to exercise his last option by entering arbitration. He denied again that he took banned substances.
In Madrid, former champion Miguel Indurain said Armstrong should keep his seven Tour de France titles until drug charges are proven by a single authority recognized by everyone in the sport.
"Until an organization recognized by all decides to the contrary, the Tour victories are his," the five-time Tour winner said.
Fans defended Armstrong on Twitter, insisting his cancer work with Livestrong trumps what he accomplished on a bike. He's raised nearly $500 million since the Lance Armstrong Foundation started in 1997. On Friday, the foundation said it received 400 donations that totaled $75,000.
"I'm focused on the future. I've got five great kids, a great lady in my life, a wonderful foundation that's completely unaffected by any noise out there, and we're going to continue to do our job," Armstrong said.
As for the sport?
"There are a lot of good young guys. A lot of good young guys," Armstrong said. "Cycling is going to be fine."
