Lance Armstrong has admitted he would still be lying about his doping past if he wasn't so spectacularly exposed two years ago.
Armstrong is serving a lifetime ban from cycling after the United States Anti-Doping Agency report in 2012 discovered he and his team ran the "most sophisticated doping programme ever".
Stripped of his seven Tour de France "wins" between 1999 and 2005, Armstrong confessed he was a serial cheat in a January 2013 interview with Oprah Winfrey after the suspension, but he would never have revealed the truth unless his deception had been unmasked.
Armstrong is one of sport's most serial cheats
"I was good at playing the part," Armstrong told CNN. "After the 850th time, it's not like I'm going to say, 'You seem like a nice guy, I'm going to be honest with you.' Once you say 'no' you have to keep saying 'no.'
"If this stuff hadn't taken place with the federal investigation, I'd probably still be saying 'no' with the same conviction and tone as before. But that gig is up."
Armstrong said living a lie "didn't feel tiring" and accepts the blame lies firmly at his feet.
"I'm a big boy, I made my own decisions and I need to be held accountable for that," he said. "I'm not going to blame people. A lot of people have blamed everyone else but that's bullshit.
"No-one forced me or bullied me, so I'm not going to say, 'It's not my fault.' I blame myself, that's the bottom line."
When asked whether he would consider therapy, Armstrong dismissed the suggestion.
"My therapy is riding my bike, playing golf and having a beer," he responded.
"Look, we all have these events in our lives, whether it's good, bad or medium. I haven't gotten around to it (therapy). I get it totally, but it's not something that's taken place yet."
The Texan is also planning a third book.
"I need to write a book and it needs to be pretty raw. The book needs to be pretty intense and transparent. I need to 'boom' - put it out there and let it sit. The sooner the better. It has to be the right book, the right tone and there has to be totally no bullshit."