Online trolls hit out at Cameron Brown after Lance Armstrong ride

Cameron Brown and Lance Armstrong in Auckland today. Photo / via Facebook

Ironman Cameron Brown has shut down his public support of disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong after being trolled on social media.

The 45-year-old American, stripped of seven Tour de France cycling titles after confessing to benefiting from a sophisticated covert doping programme, arrived in New Zealand on Sunday to film a commercial for an unknown company.

He and Brown met for a ride around the Auckland waterfront that same day and the 12-time winner of the New Zealand ironman title-winner tweeted pictures of the pair and supported Armstrong.

Armstrong will host a group ride tomorrow morning after Tweeting details to fans.

Good morning New Zealand! Let's ride Tuesday AM! Cruisy waterfront loop (Tamaki Drive/Cliff Road). 6am Mechanics Bay. See ya there!

— Lance Armstrong (@lancearmstrong) December 18, 2016

Brown acknowledged Armstrong had severely damaged cycling's credibility and hurt a lot of people but felt he still deserved support.

"I watched him for 10 years competing in the Tour de France and it was quite incredible to ride with him," Brown told Newstalk ZB's Tony Veitch.

"I'd never met him before so it was pretty special.

"My little boy's getting into cycling and triathlon now so I took him along and Lance was great.

"It was pretty cool."

Pretty cool for me and josh to have a ride along the Auckland waterfront with lance Armstrong. Thanks Jianni Koutsos

Posted by Cameron Brown on Saturday, December 17, 2016

Pretty cool for me and josh to have a ride along the Auckland waterfront with lance Armstrong. Thanks Jianni Koutsos

Posted by Cameron Brown on Saturday, December 17, 2016

But since making those statements, Brown has been attacked on various social media channels.

He withdrew from a planned interview with Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking this morning.

Mike Hosking: Nothing wrong with Cameron Brown riding with Armstrong

Hosking blasted the trolls that had lashed Brown on social media.

"He doesn't want to talk to us now because he has been trolled on social media," Hosking told his listeners. "Why we need to go around attacking people for things they do like this is beyond me."

Brown told Veitch he recognised the damage Armstrong had caused.

"I don't condone what Armstrong did," Brown told Veitch.

"I think it was a part of the era of what they did in cycling and you'd hope that they've cleaned it up by now but I'm still sure there's drugs out there in that sport.

"Everyone did it in that sport but he probably regrets how he went about it and what he did to some people and he's maybe going around the world to try and apologise to a lot of them.

"I think he's probably just trying to forget about the past and move on. And hopefully people can forgive him but probably there's a lot of people that can't."

Cameron Brown talks to Tony Veitch after riding with Lance Armstrong

This morning Armstrong posted a photo on Instagram after riding on the roads in the Waitakere Ranges.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lance Armstrong (@lancearmstrong)

Armstrong's timeline

2013 - Admitted doping in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in January.
2012 - Following USADA investigation, Armstrong received a lifetime ban and stripped of Tour de France titles for using performance-enhancing drugs over the course of his career.
2011 - Announced retirement from cycling 'for good'
2010 - Rode final Tour de France for Team RadioShack, finishing 23rd.
2009 - Returned to Tour de France, finished third behind Astana teammate Alberto Contador.
2005 - Announced retirement from cycling
1999-2005 - Completed seven straight Tour de France victories
1998 - Won Tour de France for first time
1996 - Diagnosed with a potentially fatal metastatic testicular cancer, founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation.