Lance Armstrong coming back rumours dismissed

by yuls.source | September 9, 2008 at 09:26 am

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Yesterday rumours of Lance Armstrong’s comeback to competitive cycling have surfaced (see here). But the excitement of Armstrong’s fans will have to die down as these rumours have been dispelled by the manager of team Astana that Armstrong used to compete for.

VeloNews.com reported Monday that the seven-time Tour de France winner would return to racing next year, probably with the Astana team now led by his former team director Johan Bruyneel. Both an Astana spokesman and Bruyneel himself have denied knowing of any plans to sign Armstrong, who retired after winning the 2005 Tour.

"He is a man who stays in good shape," Bruyneel said in Sabinanigo, Spain, at the Spanish Vuelta, according to national news agency EFE. "He also does cyclocross and has run marathons. But I see it very unlikely he will compete again in the Tour of France. For me it is just a rumor, although I will have to speak with him."

The sources said Armstrong would race for the Astana team and receive no salary or bonuses.

Coming back is always tough. Determination has never been a problem for Lance Armstrong, who won Tour de France for seven consecutive years while battling testicular cancer. It takes more than determination though to make a comeback in cycling these days. In accordance with new competitive cycling rules, an athlete planning to come out of retirement must be in the doping testing program for 6 months as well as provide an update on his whereabouts on a continuous basis to ensure testing can be done at any moment. Even if Lance Armstrong were to decide to make a reappearance, it will take a considerable life style change for him. Whether he is ready or not for it remains a mystery.