Lance Armstrong Declares: "Ashley Olsen and I Are Strictly Friends"

Lance Armstrong is denying that he and Ashley Olsen are an item.

"Ashley Olsen and I are strictly friends," he said in Friday's New York Post. "We have hung out amongst other friends, and she strikes me as a nice, smart lady."

(Their actions paint a different picture, however: Us has reported that the pair — he, 36; she, 21 — both booked rooms at the luxe NYC hotel SoHo House and dined a deux at NYC's Waverly Hill after taking in the Broadway play Young Frankenstein October 29.)

Meanwhile, Armstrong's ex, Sheryl Crow is debunking Life & Style's claim that she was disgusted by the May-December romance.

The tabloid reported that, when asked about the Olsen-Armstrong fling, "Sheryl rolled her eyes and said, 'That's pathetic. Ashley's a kid.' "

But Crow, 45, blogged:

"Lance and I are friends. I have a lot of respect for him and what he does in the world of cancer. What he does in his personal life . . . is none of my business. Nor would I ever comment on it."

Re: Lance Armstrong Declares: "Ashley Olsen and I Are Strictly Friends"

i wish lance and sheryl would just get back together already!

Re: Lance Armstrong Declares: "Ashley Olsen and I Are Strictly Friends"