The meeting, which was tense, took place at a conference room near the Denver airport. Mr. Tygart told Mr. Armstrong that he had already had his chance to come clean, and that, at best, if he gave full cooperation, the ban would be eight years.
Mr. Tygart told Mr. Armstrong he stood accused of offenses that stretched beyond doping to a coverup marked by nearly 15 years of denials, threats and actions against anyone who told the truth about doping on the team.
When Mr. Armstrong told Mr. Tygart that he held the keys to his own redemption, said one person with knowledge of the meeting, Mr. Tygart responded: "That's b—." He told Mr. Armstrong that all he wanted to do was figure out a way to compete again.
Mr. Armstrong shot back that he would compete in unsanctioned races, hurled a profanity, and walked out.
While in Hawaii, Mr. Armstrong spent time with Ms. Winfrey. She had interviewed him on previous occasions and had been supportive of him.
He decided to do the interview. Mr. Armstrong told friends and relatives he would not talk about others, only himself, and he would not get into specifics.