Armstrong to contest Tour

Armstrong: Riding for the best guy

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Seven-times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong will contest next year's race, his team have confirmed.

Armstrong, who won the Tour between 1999 and 2005, announced in September that he was coming out of retirement next season, three years after taking his last victory in the event.

Famously overcoming cancer prior to the first of his Tour successes, Armstrong has dedicated his comeback to raising awareness for the global fight against the disease.

The 37-year-old is scheduled to make his return on January 20 for the Tour Down Under in Australia and will also contest the Giro d'Italia for the first time.

Appearances in the Tour of Flanders, the Tour of California and several of the one-day classic races have also been pencilled in.

However, a potential bid for an eighth Tour title had been delayed, with Armstrong failing to receive an invitation from race organisers Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO).

Strained

The Texan has endured a strained relationship with ASO - who in October said his return to the Tour would be "embarrassing" - as well as the French crowds and media over doping allegations.

He was linked with possible doping by a report by French newspaper L'Equipe three years ago that claimed a 1999 sample from the American contained a banned blood-boosting substance.

But Armstrong never tested positive and was cleared by a Dutch investigator appointed by the International Cycling Union.

He has made a commitment to ride for the Astana team - who were barred by ASO from contesting this year's Tour because of their part in previous doping scandals - alongside 2007 Tour winner Alberto Contador.

Monday's announcement confirming Armstrong's presence on the Tour was made on Astana's website.

Speaking from their training camp in Tenerife, Armstrong acknowledged that the combination of age, time out of the saddle and talented team-mates may leave him playing a supporting role.

"I'm committed to riding for the best guy," he said. "We'll abide by the same code that I do: cycling is team sport, while we'd all like to win."

After voicing concerns in recent weeks about his personal safety in France, Armstrong also dismissed that issue, adding: "It's not going to keep me from going and doing my job, and it's not going to keep me from spreading my message."

The 2009 Tour de France starts in Monaco on July 4.

Watch Lance Armstrong compete in the Tour Down Under Live on Sky Sports