US actor Matt Damon has claimed that he is "too old" to play the role of disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong in a planned biopic.

A film centred around the 41-year-old's life is believed to have been in the works for a while but it is expected to be altered following the recent revelations that the former Tour de France winner had taken performance-enhancing drugs for the better part of his career.

"I was way too old 10 years ago to play him," Damon told MTV News. "No, that ship sailed a while ago because of how old I was.

"I still think that story is remarkable and I'm sorry for what's happened, but I have to say he's done incredible things and he's given a lot of people a lot of hope. He's made a hell of an impact on a lot of lives and he raised a ton of money for cancer research. I love the guy."

Meanwhile, Armstrong was spotted canoeing with friends in Hawaii earlier this week.