Cycling: Seven-times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong is to make his return to professional cycling in Australia next year, a local politician said today.
The American was due to reveal his comeback plans at a news conference in New York later today but South Australia state Premier Mike Rann beat him to it, announcing Armstrong would make his professional comeback at the Tour Down Under in January.
"Last year we edged out the toughest rivals, China, California and Russia, to be the first place outside Europe to host a ProTour event," said Rann.
"We've now edged out another series of international rivals who were all vying to host Lance's comeback race."
Armstrong retired after winning the 2005 Tour de France but announced earlier this month he was planning a comeback in 2009.
He has already competed in two long-distance mountain-bike races in the United States but has not yet rejoined the professional tour.
The 37-year-old, a survivor of testicular cancer, said he was coming out of retirement to raise awareness about the disease that nearly took his life, but was still targetting an eighth win in the Tour De France.
The Tour Down Under, to be held in and around the South Australian capital Adelaide from Jan. 18-25, rarely attracts the top riders but is the first stop on the professional circuit for 2009.
The only previous time Armstrong competed in Australia was at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, where he won a bronze medal in the time trial.
Tour Down Under race organisers and local government officials are hoping to cash in on Armstrong's fame while agreeing to help him promote cancer awareness.
Rann said the Australian federal government and local cancer research organisations had been heavily involved in the negotiations to bring Armstrong to Adelaide in a major coup for the city.
"This is a big global event," Rann said.
"What Lance wants to do is to use his comeback to really globalise his campaign to raise awareness and also raise funding for research into cancer prevention and cancer treatment.
"We will be very willing partners in that."
The local organisers were unable to shed any light on which team Armstrong would compete for in his comeback.
The Texan has already been linked with the Astana team, where his former team manager Johan Bruyneel is now in charge.
-Reuters