Lance Armstrong: US government say disgraced former cyclist continues to hide the truth

Armstrong is being sued for nearly $100 million

Lance Armstrong must pay possibly the largest award against an individual in US legal history (AP)

Lance Armstrong has been accused of "continuing to hide essential facts" by the US government as part of a $100 million lawsuit.

The government is suing the former cyclist for alleged fraud. This comes after the United States Postal Service (USPS) sponsored him during the Tour de France. Armstrong was disgraced when it emerged he had been using banned drugs and doping in 2013 in order to enhance his performance.

Armstrong - who is worth $125 million - was stripped of all seven Tour de France medals after admitting to the banned practice.

The USPS paid over $30 million to sponsor Armstrong's cycling team.

Armstrong's character is being called into question by the US government as it tries to get a testimony from his long-term girlfriend Anna Hansen to find out more about Armstrong's behaviour.

The government argues that Armstrong is an "unreliable source of information".

Lance Armstrong with girlfriend Anne Hansen at a New York Times party in February 2015 (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

It says that Hansen taking the blame for Armstong's car crash in Aspen earlier this year "undermines any suggestion that Armstrong changed his ways after he confessed to Oprah Winfrey".

However, Armstrong's attorney has said argued that Hansen doesn't know anything about the case and that the government was attempting a "character assassination on unrelated issues through harassment of a domestic partner".

Talking to USA Today, Armstrong's lawyer added: "We find this tactic utterly distasteful and unworthy of the United States government."

However, the US government says the Armstrong has not been candid in his discussion of his doping and drug use.

"Armstrong's admissions have been far from extensive," the government wrote in court papers.

"On the contrary, Armstrong has carefully selected both the media outlets that would receive his 'admissions' and the scope of these admissions. Armstrong's active management of his confessional process has allowed him to continue to hide essential facts about the extent of his doping, who helped him to dope, where the drugs came from, and how he managed to cover up his activities for so long.

"Armstrong has publicly denied doping during his comeback years (2009-10) while at the same time refusing to testify under oath about this issue in legal proceedings brought against him."

Lance Armstrong’s legal team have argued that his Tour de France victories were worth far more to the US Postal Service than they were to him.

His team argue that the global exposure Armstrong gave the sponsor was worth more than the money they gave him, and that the sponsorship paid for itself "many times over".