(CBS/AP) Cancer survivors, autograph hunters and enamored admirers pushed, shove, and yelled "Lance! Lance!" outside his bus in the mornings for a smile, a signature, or a word from the champion.

He had bodyguards to keep the crowds at bay, ruffling feathers of cycling purists who sniffed at his "American" ways.

Whatever emotions Armstrong felt were kept well in check, apart from what appeared to be a swipe at those who for so long accused him of doping, CBS News Correspondebt Pizzey reports.

"I'm sorry for you. I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles," Armstrong said.

Some spectators did shout obscenities or "doper!" To some, his comeback from cancer and his uphill bursts of speed that left rivals gasping in the Alps and Pyrenees were too good to be true.

Armstrong insisted that he simply trained, worked and prepared harder than anyone. He was drug-tested hundreds of times, in and out of competition, but never found to have committed any infractions.

Each rider burns off an average of 124,000 calories over the three weeks of the Tour. The sheer physical toll is perhaps why Armstrong has finally won over some of those French fans who for years saw him as more machine than human, Pizzey reports.

On Monday, Armstrong is taking his family on vacation in the south of France, the rest of his life ahead of him. Gaunt and tanned after three brutal weeks on French roads, Armstrong said he would go to the beach, drink wine, eat and "not worry about a thing."

At this Tour, he hammered his rivals from the first day in the opening time trial. He built on his lead in the first day in the Alps and comfortably controlled the race from that point — silencing doubters who questioned whether he still had the will and the legs to win.

Armstrong said that while he is retiring from cycling, he would keep fit and perhaps take part in mountain bike or cyclo-cross races from time to time.

"It's not as if I'm going to sit around and be a fat slob," he said.

Armstrong said he was retiring with "no regrets." Winning the Tour has brought him huge fame and fortune. "There's no reason to continue. I don't need more," he said.

"My time is up, I don't crave attention."