Lance Armstrong is coming out of retirement in 2009 to raise awareness about cancer, the seven-times Tour de France winner said on Tuesday.
Armstrong had been linked with a return to the peloton for weeks and the 36-year-old American made it official in a video blog on his website.
”After long talks with my kids, the rest of my family, a close group of friends, I have decided to return to professional cycling in 2009,” he said.
”The reason for this is to launch an international cancer strategy based on the fact that we lose eight million people around the world to this disease — more than Aids, malaria and tuberculosis combined.”
A survivor of testicular cancer, Armstrong will race in the Tour de France, the Amgen Tour of California, the Paris-Nice, the Tour de Georgia and the Dauphine-Libere, cycling journal Velonews reported, citing anonymous sources.
Armstrong did not reveal his plans and said he would unveil them on September 24 in New York City.
He told Vanity Fair magazine he was ”going to try and win an eighth Tour de France”.
Armstrong told Vanity Fair on its website that finishing second in a 160km mountain-bike race in Leadville, Colorado this year triggered his desire to return to competitive cycling.
”This kind of obscure bike race totally kick-started my engine,” he said. ”For me it’s always been about the process. The process of getting there is the best part.
”Obviously beautiful territory and fresh air, just feeling fit, losing weight, getting strong — living a very healthy lifestyle. I thought, ‘This might be fun to try again.”’
USA Cycling spokesperson Andy Lee said the ruling body was ”extremely excited” about the return of Armstrong, who won the Tour de France, cycling’s most famous race, a record-breaking seven consecutive years from 1999 to 2005.
”As a cancer survivor and seven-time Tour winner Lance has brought a tremendous amount of attention to competitive cycling in America and his success is largely responsible for the significant growth USA Cycling has experienced over the course of the last 10 years,” Lee told Reuters by e-mail.
”A comeback to the sport’s marquee event would bring with it unprecedented intrigue and excitement and would most likely have a similar impact.
”A return would be one of the most exciting things to happen in American cycling in a long time.”
Armstrong, who retired following his 2005 Tour triumph, has been an outspoken advocate in the fight against cancer, raising funds and awareness of the disease.
He has lobbied UN President George Bush to increase funding for cancer research and over the weekend questioned the two US presidential candidates about how they would go about accelerating the fight against the disease.
Armstrong has been dogged by accusations that he used drugs to help him win the Tour so many times after surviving cancer but he has never failed a drugs test.
The Texan has spent most of his time since his retirement raising money to fight cancer and helping survivors through the Lance Armstrong Foundation. He has run a few marathons.
Armstrong has often said that he did not miss racing because he had had to deprive himself of fun, food and drink while training. – Reuters