Aspen: Lance Armstrong says he's more at peace now than he has been in a decade.

In his first interview since the US 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.'

Still, his ego was bruised after being beaten by 16-year-old Keegan Swirbul at the Power of Four mountain bike race Saturday. Armstrong finished second, nearly five minutes behind the lanky teenager.

Soon after crossing the finish line and skidding to a stop, Armstrong chatted for a few minutes before saying, “OK, I’m going to go eat a cheeseburger.”

Earlier on Saturday, for a few hours, Armstrong was back in his element - on a bike and in a race. No controversies, little fanfare. There were only a handful of fans at the start of the competition, a 58-kilometre trek.

Asked if he was ready, Armstrong smiled and had said: “I hope so... This is going to be hard for all of us.”

Decked out in black and gold and sporting a Livestrong emblem on his jersey, Armstrong kissed his girlfriend Anna Hansen before pedalling off. (Agencies)