UPDATED 7.29am: Hundreds of Auckland cyclists are an hour into their early morning waterfront ride with Lance Armstrong.

LISTEN ABOVE: Lance Armstrong speaks to Andrew Dickens 

The cyclist, who was stripped of his titles due to doping, put out an open invitation on social media, and it wasn't ignored.

The group started off in Mechanics Bay, headed toward Mission Bay and St Heliers, and have now turned for home.

The pack seems to have thinned along the way though and there hasn't been any problems for drivers on Tamaki Drive.

A puffed Andrew Dickens from Newstalk ZB is amongst it, and told Mike Hosking Armstrong is leading the way.

"He's been at the front of the field, putting on a bit of a pace. It's about a 30kmh ride so it's not fast but it ain't slow either."

Dickens then spoke to Armstrong, who outlined some of the reasons why he's in New Zealand and why he put the call out for fellow riders.

He said its "a little bit of community" and that he was "humbled" by the people who had turned out.

Armstrong also said he knew he had lost a lot of support after his doping was revealed, and that he lives with that every day. 

Lance Armstrong wasn't quite sure how many people there would be but was happy with the turnout.

He says he's always surprised and humbled when anyone shows up - and he never knows what to expect.

But Drug Free Sport New Zealand chief executive Graeme Steel told Mike Hosking he's not impressed.

He said Armstrong stands for what's worst in sport:

"He's someone who personified the perverted view of sport, someone who set out to destroy the good things in sport."

"There are any number of admirable sportspeople who could do a great job for a company."