Lance Armstrong’s admission to Oprah draws criticism, praise

Lance Armstrong finally admitted to abusing performance-enhancing drugs throughout his prolific cycling career Thursday, in Oprah Winfrey's biggest interview since her show ended in 2011. 

It seems everyone had something to say about the admission, Armstrong's first since he was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from competition over doping allegations. 

"My cocktail, so to speak, was EPO, but not a lot, transfusions and testosterone, which in a weird way I justified because of my history of testicular cancer…. Surely I’m running low," Armstrong said, after answering "yes" to a series of questions from Oprah about which drugs and methods he used.

More from GlobalPost: Lance Armstrong tells Oprah he doped during all Tour de France and other wins

Professional cyclist Tim Johnson called the interview "surreal," USA Today reported. 

"I couldn't believe it was actually happening, I never thought we'd see something like this," said Johnson, who is currently training in Southern California. "It was like here was this guy who had been so untouchable for so long, and his story was finally ending."

Australian cyclist Robbie McEwen, a two-time Tour de France stage winner, said he "could never forgive" Armstrong, adding he “deceived everybody on the planet, us included," First Post Sports reported. 

"Though the athlete finally came clean after years of lying, his reputation will be presumably tarnished for life," wrote the International Business Times. 

"His admission that he doped throughout his career is a small step in the right direction," said Travis Tygart, the head of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), Reuters reported. "But if he is sincere in his desire to correct his past mistakes, he will testify under oath about the full extent of his doping activities."

The International Cycling Union also welcomed Armstrong's admission, and said they would encourage him to continue his "truth and reconciliation process," according to Reuters. 

Here, more reactions to the disgraced cyclist's interview. The second part airs Friday night at 9 p.m. EST on OWN.