Hounded by the U.S. federal government and facing a long-standing $100 million fraud case over his use of performance enhancing drugs, former professional cyclist Lance Armstrong says his greatest regret is how badly he had treated people in the past.

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Speaking to Movember Radio CEO Adam Garome in a podcast published last week, Armstrong said he "grew up like a wild animal", and candidly discussed how he attacked people during his storied cycling career.

"Understand that you may face some decisions in this sport," Armstrong said. "But, man, don't ever isolate, attack, ostracize, incite another human being."

 Armstrong, who is still among the most famous athletes to ever ride a bike, first shot to worldwide fame in 1999, first for a storybook return to professional cycling after coming close to dying from cancer; then by winning the Tour de France over rivals Alex Zulle and Fernando Escartin that same year. 

The Tour de France -- which many analysts count among the toughest, most grueling races in all of cycling -- is probably the most esteemed grand tour in the sport, and also among its oldest.  Armstrong's fame subsequently began to burn brighter as he managed to win six more Tour de France titles before retiring in 2005.    

That same fame, however, turned into infamy in 2013, after Armstrong admitted in an interview with TV personality Oprah Winfrey that he had taken various performance-enhancing drugs during the most triumphant years of his career as a professional cyclist.

In the recent Movember Radio podcast, Armstrong admits he had a bad attitude as a younger man. He says he considers his doping a side issue to his treatment of others, pointing out that the use of performance-enhancing drugs was pervasive during his time. 

"We're talking about all of this because of the way I treated other people," he says.  "And that's my mistake, and I own that."  

The U.S. government recently sought Armstrong's medical records as part of a lawsuit aimed at recovering millions of dollars in sponsorship money the postal service paid to Armstrong's teams from 1998 to 2004.  The case will likely go to trial sometime after 2015, according to The Guardian.

Armstrong admits that his past actions have made many people feel betrayed. 

"That's the walk I walk the rest of my life," he said.

The man who once conquered the 7,000-foot climb up the Alpe d' Huez on a 14-pound bike now has to drag a much heavier burden up a steeper, much higher mountain. 

And this one appears unlikely to forgive him.

TagsLance Armstrong, tour de france, US, federal lawsuit, Doping, Fraud, Cycling