Pascal Pavani / AFP/Getty Images

Lance Armstrong putting on the yellow jersey after winning the 86th Tour de France prologue in 1999.

Even the Vatican has an opinion on Lance Armstrong.

One of Pope Benedict XVI's lieutenants weighed in on the doping scandal,  saying the disgraced ex-champion is just part of a scourge that has infected every corner of professional cycling.

"It's a world that is rotten, all of cycling, even soccer," said Msgr. Melchor Sanchez de Toca Alameda, who heads the culture and sport section of the Pontifical Council for Culture in Rome.

"It's very sad," he told the Catholic News Service.

The monsignor spoke before Oprah Winfrey's interview with Armstrong was set to air Thursday and Friday. Sources say Armstrong admits doping in the two-hour sitdown.

The world won't find out until then what explanation Armstrong will give, but Sanchez noted that others who have admitting using performance-enhancing drugs spoke of enormous pressure to compete at the highest level.

Professional sports "have become a commodity that are subordinate to the free market and, therefore, to profit," he said. "It had reduced people to merchandise."

The news service noted that the pope condemned athletic doping last month, calling it a "dead end."

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Stephane Mahe / Reuters

British cyclist Bradley Wiggins won the Tour de France and an Olympic gold medal this summer.

LONDON — Tour de France cycling champion Bradley Wiggins was recovering in a hospital Thursday after being hit by a car while riding his bike in north-west England.

The 32-year-old British cyclist, who won his fourth gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics in July, was thrown off his bike after a white Vauxhall Astra Envoy pulled out of a gas station and collided with him, ITV News reported.

Police said he sustained broken ribs as well as cuts and bruises in the accident, but his professional sponsors Team Sky said "the injuries he sustained are not thought to be serious and he is expected to make a full and speedy recovery."

Read the full story at ITV News

The crash happened at about 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday (1 p.m. ET) in Wrightington, Lancashire, which is near to his family home in Eccleston.

The father-of-two, whose candor has made him one of Britain's most popular athletes, regularly cycles around the area's rural roads.

Gas station attendant Yasmin Smith told ITV News that the female driver of the car initially didn't recognize Wiggins.

"She was even more upset when the police told her who she had hit," Smith said.

Earlier, Smith told the Lancashire Evening Post newspaper: "[Wiggins] said he thought he had broken his ribs and while a lot of police cars arrived it was about 15 minutes before the ambulance got there by which time he was blue."

ITV News reporter Richard Gaisford said parts of the car were still visible on the ground at the scene of the collision early Thursday.

Lancashire Police said in a statement late Wednesday:  “Police were called to the scene of a road traffic accident at Crow Orchard Road in Wrightington at about 6 p.m. this evening. A cyclist has been involved in a collision with a white Vauxhall Astra car.

"The rider of the bike, a 32-year-old local man, was taken to hospital by ambulance with injuries not thought to be life-threatening. His family have been told."

ITV News is the U.K. partner of NBC News.

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LONDON -- Eleven years after he was resuscitated seven times following a horrific 200 mph crash, former race car driver Alex Zanardi was among the athletes honored at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games on Sunday.

His return to the podium – winning two golds and a silver for handcycling - is one of many inspirational stories behind the competition.

The 45-year-old Italian triumphantly lifted his three-wheeled cycle with one arm after winning a time-trial at England’s Brands Hatch course – a track on which he used to race with four wheels.

In an emotional interview with NBC News, the ex-Formula One driver said his return to being a champion was not about victory but enjoying the long ride to it. 

Luke Macgregor / Reuters

Two-time CART champion Alex Zanardi lifts his hand-cycle after winning the Men's Individual H4 - Road Race at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

“I’m a happy man and I know that happiness does not come from a medal,” he said. “A medal makes the taste of the steak a little better.”

PhotoBlog: Stars close London Paralympics that 'lifted the cloud of limitation'

It is nothing short of extraordinary that he is alive, let alone the winner of three Paralympic medals.

Zanardi's journey to the Paralympics began at the American Memorial 500 on Sept. 15, 2001, at the Eurospeedway Lausitz in Germany — the only American-based series to go forward on the weekend after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. 

Zanardi, a two-time CART champion, had had a difficult season. He started 22nd in a field of 27, but the car was responding well. He was enjoying the drive, passing one car after another, until with 13 laps to go he was in the lead. 

Zanardi went into his final pit stop and the crew chief waved him off urging him to "Go, go, go!" 

But as he built up speed to get back into the race, the car spun out of control and he veered onto the track. Canadian driver Alex Tagliani, traveling at close to 200 mph, could not avoid him. The reinforced carbon fiber cone of Tagliani's car sliced through the area beside Zanardi's left front wheel and cockpit, the weakest part of the vehicle. 

Jonathan Ferrey / Getty Images, file

Crews help Alex Zanardi after his crash on September 15, 2001 in Klettwitz, Germany.

On the track, Dr. Terry Trammel slipped and fell as he raced to the wreckage. He thought he had fallen in oil, but it was Zanardi's blood. 

But Zanardi was alive. 

More London 2012 coverage from NBCNews.com

The crash had severed Zanardi's right leg at the knee and his left at the thigh some five inches above the knee. The driver's lower legs had disintegrated like those of land mine victims, said Dr. Steve Olvey, director of medical affairs for CART at the time. He had lost 70 percent of his blood, his pelvis was fractured in five places and he had a lacerated liver. 

His heart stopped seven times.

Jamie Squire / Getty Images, file

Alex Zanardi celebrates after winning the CART - Honda Indy Australia in 1998.

As part of his rehabilitation, Zanardi took up handcycling, which uses a vehicle powered by the arms that features two coasting rear wheels and one steerable front wheel. 

He heard about the sport by chance. Zanardi and another athlete had both tried to pull into a disabled parking spot, setting off a dispute as to who should get it. He saw the other man's handbike on top of the car and got curious.

“I don’t know why it happened but I don’t complain because I’m here,” Zanardi said. “Everything else was up to me, to change an adversity into an opportunity…and I think you can do that with everything in life.”

'Admiration'
He said the athletes in London - the biggest Paralympic Games in history – had demonstrated that their achievements are about ability rather than disability.

“I saw a woman swimming as fast a shark with no arms and I got [goose bumps], I got tears in my eyes – but not because of pity, but because of admiration.”

“At the end of the day, I didn't do this to win the gold medal. I did what I had to do because I was enjoying what I had to do and the results I had … was just a logical consequence of adding something every day to what I had done the previous day.”

Jay-Z, Rihanna and Coldplay performed at Sunday night’s Paralympic closing ceremony, whose highlights included a spectacular fireworks display and a heart-shaped ring of flame.

China finished top of the medal table, with 95 golds out of 231 medals. Russia came second with 36 golds out of 102 medals and Britain came third with 34 golds out of 120 medals. The United States came sixth with 31 golds out of 98 medals.

The London Paralympics sold 2.7 million tickets - almost 900,000 more than in Beijing.

"Paralympians have lifted the cloud of limitation,” London Games chairman Sebastian Coe told the 80,000-strong crowd watching the ceremony at the main Olympic Stadium in East London.

'Meet the Superhumans': Paralympians burst onto world stage

That theme was echoed by Zanardi, who spoke of the ordinary sources of inspiration that can drive humans to success.

Bryn Lennon / Getty Images

Alex Zanardi celebrates winning one of his gold medals at the London 2012 Paralympics.

“I want to want to share this great gift that I have with all the athletes, with all the people that do great things in life because we only need our eyes to catch examples… of great inspiration,” he said. “Not just athletes like me who had the opportunity and the luck in life to stand above all others, but also great mothers - they wake up in the morning, they are sick, but nonetheless they feed the breakfast to the kids, they take them to school and they go to work because there's a great family to feed. If we have eyes to see, we are surrounded by great examples which could be inspiration for us all.”

365 days after blindness, swimming sailor claims gold

Zanardi paid a tearful tribute to this father, who died in 1997. “It's amazing how much is anyway passed on into my, through my skin and into my soul, you know. I am my dad… and I miss him so much, and I know … that in these days he's just getting a pat on the back from all the mates he's got up there because I'm sure he was very excited for what his son did and … I just hope that one day my son will be the same.”

He added: “My dad told me that if you find some tail wind, life can be much easier - but you've got to be there waiting for it. If when the tail wind comes you are in harbor because you thought it was impossible the tailwind would come, you're not going to be that lucky b****** that gets it. So you have to work, do your part, work very hard to get out of that harbor. It’s going to be hard with no wind… but if then the wind comes there's no reason why even an old crashed boat can't win the race… you have to try to make what you can.

“Take every day as an opportunity to add something to what you've done the previous day  - this whether you have become Usain Bolt or whether you have fallen down and you are in a hospital bed with very little left. But there's something left and something you can use to compensate and to start again. And if you do it right it will for sure be very exciting.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Alastair Jamieson / NBC News

American track cycling silver medal winners Jennie Reed (L), Sarah Hammer and Lauren Tamayo (R) in front of London's Tower Bridge, Saturday.

LONDON – Posing for photos in front of Tower Bridge and buying souvenirs on the sidewalks, they could be any other tourists among the summer crowds. But with most London 2012 events now over, it's the turn of the world's greatest athletes to be awe-struck as they turn up at visitor attractions across the city.

Rebecca Soni, American gold medalist and winner of the 200m breaststroke, took a trip on the London Eye with fellow swimmers on Saturday, while double-gold winning gymnast Gabby Douglas went sightseeing on Wednesday, according to ESPN.

“Go USA!” shouted an onlooker as three of the U.S.'s four track cycling silver medalists -- Lauren Tamayo, Jennie Reed and Sarah Hammer -- took a tour of the Tower of London with NBCNews.com on Saturday.

“It’s great to get out and see a bit of London,” said Reed, from Seattle. “Tower Bridge is stunning -- it’s incredible to have seen it on the TV so many times and now to see it up close.”

The trio was greeted at the 11^th century royal fortress by a Yeoman Warder in traditional dress, and saw the Crown Jewels during their walk-through.

“It was incredible,” said Hammer. “We also saw the room where they used to keep all the exotic animals like lions and polar bears.”

Apart from a few admiring glances, the women moved largely un-noticed through tourist crowds outside the Tower, where Reed stopped to buy some art on the sidewalk.

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“For the first week we in the bubble of the village and didn’t really go out at all,” said Tamayo. “It’s easy to forget that you now need to take all your personal things again. When I went out I realized I was on the Tube and didn’t have any credit cards or ID on me except my accreditation.”

The women plan to visit Borough Market to buy gifts and specialty foods before leaving London with their teammates on Monday.

As well as turning tourist in London, the entire U.S. Olympic team has been giving back to the host nation by donating $157 per gold medal won at the Games to local sports and recreation charity Kids Company as part of Thank You Britain campaign.

Alastair Jamieson/NBC News

Silver medal-winning track cyclists Jennie Reed (L), Sarah Hammer and Lauren Tamayo (R) outside the Tower of London on Saturday.

Fans: Day at Olympics well worth $1,000 for family of 4

Reed said the athletes had much to be thankful for, including the Olympic Village.

“The accommodation has been great and the food probably the best of any Games I’ve been to,” she said.

Hammer described the atmosphere inside the Village, where their shared apartment overlooks part of the Olympic Park.

“Sometimes we have been watching events on TV and when you turn the sound down you can actually listen out the window and hear the same crowd noise for real -- it’s incredible,” she said.

Their verdict on London? “It’s very busy -- I’m amazed that people here are describing this as quieter than usual -- and the atmosphere is great,” said Tamayo.

"It's easy to forget that these world class athletes are tourists, too, and most are now enjoying all that Britain offers," said Mark Di-Toro, a spokesman for tourism agency Visit Britain. "When the athletes leave is when our work really begins to create a sustained and positive tourism legacy."

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Jim Seida / NBC News

A cyclist uses his phone to help navigate around the security gate blocking the bike path along the western edge of the Olympic Park, Saturday, July 21, 2012 in London.

LONDON -- The 2012 Olympics may claim to be the first 'green' Summer Games, but the city’s cyclists have been holding a number of protests -- including one on Friday at which more than 100 people were arrested -- claiming that the authorities appear to think they “don’t exist” or “don’t matter.”

Part of a major commuter route for cyclists down the east side of London -- a path along the River Lea -- has been closed for security reasons because it runs close to the Olympic Park.

And cyclists are also not allowed to use many of the Olympic Lanes set up for officials, athletes and others involved in the Games.

According to the U.K., London is "the first Summer Host City to embed sustainability into its planning from the very start" and it is hoped the Games will "encourage more sustainable living" across the whole of the U.K.

Ruth-Anna Macqueen, 28, a hospital doctor, has been involved in three protests over the closure of the Lea path on the last three Sundays and another is planned for this Sunday.

Macqueen said the path had been closed since the beginning of July, weeks before the start of the Games, and would remain so until September.

'It's on, Let's Go:' The Games have begun

The diversion, Macqueen said, took cyclists onto a busy main road and a notorious roundabout where two cyclists were killed in one month last year.

“Basically people are left with the option of staying on your bike and taking your life in your hands or getting back in your car or public transport,” she said. “It kind of seems to be all part of the ignorance and arrogance by the people at the top -- that either cyclists don’t exist, don’t matter or are not worth any consideration.”

Slideshow: When the Olympics is your neighbor

A diverse community in East London will welcome the world to Britain for the 2012 Olympic Games. Meet residents and hear how they feel about having a huge, world stage in their backyard.

Launch slideshow

“You can’t imagine them closing a busy road with no consultation and no warning,” she added, saying the idea that London 2012 was the first green Games felt like “a bit of a joke.”

Macqueen added that preventing cyclists from using some Olympic lanes was “ludicrous.”

'Critical Mass', 'Swarm' protests
During Friday's opening ceremony, an amateur cycling club tried to pedal their way through the security cordon around the Olympic Park. 

The cyclists were identified as members of a monthly cycling event called "Critical Mass" that normally passes through the area, but police had prohibited them from cycling there on Friday evening.

Olympic party: In the shadow of the Games, London celebrates

More than 100 people were arrested on suspicion of breaching protest conditions and causing a public nuisance, Scotland Yard said Saturday.

Officers scuffled with several pro-cycling activists as dozens of cyclists were blocked by police vans from proceeding, Scotland Yard said. No serious injuring were reported.

Elisabeth Anderson, 38, of Camden, took part in another protest Wednesday night by the “London Bike Swarm” over the Olympic lanes issue.

Slideshow: Olympic Emotional Moments

Click for more from the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.

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The “swarm” turned out to be about 14 cyclists and only six actually defied the authorities to ride in the lanes, until they were stopped by police.

“It’s a strange situation. Cyclists are being thought of as an afterthought,” she said. “There could have been a really positive move to push cycling, they could have encouraged officials and others involved in the Games to cycle as well.”

Read more Olympics coverage on NBC's TODAY in London blog

Christian Wolmar, transport analyst and author, agreed the authorities had not done enough to promote cycling.

“The whole thing is completely hypocritical; cycling is just another example of that,” he said. “Cyclists are really considered a bit of a bother, rather than part of the solution.”

Get the latest on London 2012 with NBC Olympics

“It fits in with the whole hypocrisy of the Games – sponsored by Coca-Cola and McDonald's even while it’s supposed to be about sport and healthy living,” he added.

A spokesman for Transport for London said cyclists could use some Olympic lanes, but added that it would not be safe for cyclists to use those lanes which are in the middle of the road, rather than next to the sidewalk.

Slideshow: Venues for 2012 London Olympic Games

Oda / Getty Images

From Wimbledon to Wembley Stadium to The Dome, a look at the venues for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

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“We’ve invested an awful lot of time and money to make it safer for cyclists,” he said. 

A spokeswoman for London 2012 organizer LOCOG told NBCNews.com that the issue was "more one for Transport for London. I’m not sure it’s something we’d comment on.”

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Karel Navarro / AP

Several hundred nude cyclists hit the streets of Lima, Peru, on Saturday to protest reckless driving.

At least 300 nude cyclists hit the streets of Lima, Peru, on Saturday, protesting the reckless driving they say has killed thousands in their country, Reuters reported.

"I have gone naked because it's the way to raise awareness of our rights for example the bicycle lanes that are never free," said cyclist Milagro Esquivel. "There are always taxis parked, police sleeping."

More than 3,000 people were killed in traffic accidents in Peru in 2009, according to the Latin American Herald Tribune.

(By contrast, 33,808 people were killed in car accidents in the United States during the same year. Adjusting for total populations of both countries, that was about the same proportion of people killed on the road.)

The cyclists, many of whom painted slogans on their bodies, are agitating for dedicated bicycle lanes. This is the seventh annual nude cyclist event.

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