(CNN) -- It cost his newspaper a thumping $1.6 million in legal costs. He was the subject of vilification from both cycling fans and officials -- not to mention from a man who had become a global sporting icon. But not once did David Walsh waver in his quest to unveil the truth about Lance Armstrong and his doping lies -- despite the almost insurmountable obstacles placed in his way. "People find this strange, but for me it was the time of my life," Walsh told CNN's Changing Gear series in an interview before the start of the Tour de France.
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Irish journalist David Walsh spent over a decade pursuing Lance Armstrong
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Sunday Times writer was convinced from 1999 onwards he was doping
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His co-authored 2004 book LA Confidential enraged the American cyclist
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Armstrong apologized to Walsh during his 2012 televised confession
The award-winning @placeholder journalist spent 13 long and sometimes lonely years pursuing Armstrong.