Sports

Confirmed: Lance Armstrong to Come out of Retirement

by mbaumgartner | September 9, 2008 at 12:08 pm

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UPDATE: This rumour has now been confirmed by Armstrong himself to Douglas Brinkley of Vanity Fair.

In a statement released Tuesday afternoon and in an article published on VanityFair.com, Lance Armstrong confirmed VeloNews.com's Monday report that he will return to professional road racing in 2009, including making a run at winning an eighth Tour de France.

“I am happy to announce that after talking with my children, my family and my closest friends, I have decided to return to professional cycling in order to raise awareness of the global cancer burden," Armstrong said in a statement released Tuesday by the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Armstrong also posted a video confirming the decision on the Livestrong.com Web site. He will hold a news conference Sept. 24 in New York City.

Well, take this as you will - but it will certainly put some interest back into American cycling.

Lance Armstrong will come out of retirement next year to compete in five road races with the Astana team, according to sources familiar with the developing situation.

Armstrong, who turns 37 this month, will compete in the Amgen Tour of California, Paris-Nice, the Tour de Georgia, the Dauphine-Libere and the Tour de France — and will race for no salary or bonuses, the sources, who asked to remain anonymous, told VeloNews.

Armstrong's manager, Mark Higgins, did not respond to questions.

However sources close to the story have told VeloNews that an exclusive article on the matter will be published in an upcoming issue of Vanity Fair, expected later this month.

Rumors of Armstrong's return swirled at last week’s Eurobike trade show in Germany and this week’s Tour of Missouri.

The rumor speculates that Armstrong will reunite with former team manager Johan Bruyneel at Team Astana — a viable option given Armstrong’s long-lasting relationships not only with the Belgian director but also Trek, Astana’s bike sponsor.

Of course we have the requisite denials as well: Johan Bruynell has denied any knowledge of the return.

As has the Astana Team:

Lance Armstrong's reported comeback won't take place with the Astana cycling team. "He is no part of our team," Astana team press officer Philippe Maertens told The Associated Press in an e-mail. "Team Astana has no plans with him."

The cycling journal VeloNews, citing anonymous sources, reported on its Web site Monday that the 36-year-old seven-time Tour de France champion would compete in the Tour and four other road races with Astana in 2009.

But Astana team director Johan Bruyneel, who was with Armstrong for all seven Tour wins from 1999-2005, told cyclingnews.com that he was unaware of any Armstrong comeback.