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Post by bradrose5200 on Sept 8, 2008 11:41:20 GMT -6
Sources: Lance Armstrong coming back
By Neal Rogers Posted Sep. 8, 2008
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.
According to sources, the Texan will post all of his internally tested blood work online, in an attempt to establish complete transparency and prove that he is a clean athlete.
The rumor, which has been rampant for nearly a month, gained legs when former Discovery Channel team director Dirk Demol signed with Astana for 2009.
“I am excited to be reunited with Johan Bruyneel," Demol said. "What Johan has been able to do this year with Team Astana is quite special and admirable and I look forward to being a part of his program once again. It will be a new team with some familiar faces, but I know the winning philosophy and structure have remained the same.”
Advertisement Other rumors are that Armstrong will continue to pursue mountain bike racing, and may try his hand at cyclocross as well.
Should Armstrong return with Astana, it would bolster a squad that arguably boasts the sport’s best stage-racing team.
In Missouri, Columbia rider George Hincapie, a close friend of Armstrong’s and the only man to ride on all seven of the Texan’s Tour winning teams, simply smiled when asked what he’d knew about the rumor, saying, “I don’t know anything.”
Armstrong re-enrolled himself into the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s out-of-competition testing pool prior to August’s Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race, where he finished second to Dave Wiens, said USA Cycling chief operating officer Sean Petty.
USADA rules state that any athlete who wishes to come out of retirement must enroll in the USADA out-of-competition testing program for at least six months in advance of regaining eligible status.
A return to racing would no doubt bring large crowds to American races, and could perhaps save the Tour de Georgia, which is struggling to land a title sponsor.
Petty said that should Armstrong wish to return to racing, “it would be one of most exciting things to happen to American racing since he won his seventh Tour. Depending on his plan, if that is what he wanted to do, it would be tremendously exciting and would generate a tremendous amount of attention on the sport, and on what he’s doing. People would be very interested to see how he would do in a comeback.”
The last big-name rider to return from retirement was Italian Mario Cipollini, who signed with Rock Racing and competed at this year’s Amgen Tour of California after three years away from the sport. Cipollini failed to win a stage, but took third in a field sprint and said, “This finish means as much to me as any victory.” Following the race Cipollini had a contractual dispute with Rock team owner Michael Ball, and left the team.
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Post by bradrose5200 on Sept 8, 2008 15:20:49 GMT -6
Armstrong's rumoured return surprises Bruyneel and others By Bjorn Haake in Vielha
Astana Team Director Johan Bruyneel told Cyclingnews that he is not aware of any comebacks by his former rider Lance Armstrong, who had retired from the sport in 2005, immediately following his record-breaking seventh Tour de France win.
Armstrong is reportedly returning to the peloton to undertake a limited racing schedule for 2009 according to anonymous sources commenting at the Eurobike trade show.
Bruyneel, who used to direct the Discovery Channel Racing Team captained by Armstrong, had heard the comeback rumours, but could not confirm them. "I don't know where the rumours come from. Maybe (they arise) because Lance recently finished second in a 160km mountain bike race? He has been training for it and he is in good shape."
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the camaraderie of a team. Guys like George [Hincapie] and of course Johan were really important parts of the whole day-to- day set up," Armstrong had told Cyclingnews in July.
In August, Armstrong completed the Leadville 100, a 100 mile mountain bike race in Colorado. He finished second behind Dave Wiens.
Since his retirement from professional road racing, Armstrong has completed the New York marathon in both 2006 and 2007. Both years, he recorded times under three hours.
Bruyneel was impressed that his former star has remained competitive, but he wasn't surprised by his solid performances on foot and on a mountain bike.
"Champions are like that, they are always competitive. No matter if it's a game of cards or a tennis match, they always want to win," said Bruyneel. "He is competitive in everything he does, even a bike ride with friends."
Citing an example of the competitive fire that still burns after top racers retire, Bruyneel went on to recall an occasion during which his compatriot Eddy Merckx got mad after loosing a football game organized at the time to benefit Bruyneel's recovery from a broken back at the time he was still racing.
Former team-mate Levi Leipheimer, presently racing for Astana at the Vuelta a Espana, also could also not confirm Armstrong's rumored return to the peloton - possibly to Astana for 2009.
"I don't think so," said Leipheimer of the chances of Armstrong returning to mix it up with the pros.
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Post by bradrose5200 on Sept 9, 2008 5:38:10 GMT -6
Astana denies Armstrong return
The rumoured return to racing of seven time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong has been officially denied by the Astana team, which Armstrong was reported to be joining.
"He is not part of our team," press officer Philippe Maertens told the Associated Press. "Team Astana has no plans with him."
Astana team director Johan Bruyneel, who was with Armstrong for all seven Tour wins from 1999-2005, was unaware of any Armstrong comeback.
"I don't know where the rumours come from," he told Cyclingnews.
Maertens said rumours that Armstrong might come out of retirement had been circulating for a few weeks.
"I cannot tell you more, you better ask him," he said
"We know that Lance continued training hard after that mountain bike race," Maertens said. "He will do some cyclo-cross races as well in the USA."
At the time of publication, Cyclingnews has yet to receive a response to from Armstrong's manager, Mark Higgins.
Rumours began circulating of Armstrong's return to the professional ranks after he finished second to Dave Weins in the Leadville Trail 100 mile mountain bike race. The event is sanctioned by the USA cycling and Armstrong’s participation required him to be part of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's out-of-competition testing pool.
Should Armstrong return to elite level competition, he would be required to have been part of the testing pool for a minimum of six months prior to his return. The August date of Leadville places the Tour of California just outside the six month minimum period.
USA Cycling has confirmed Armstrong has not applied for an international cycling license, but chief operating officer Sean Petty said Armstrong typically did not request such a license until January or February.
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Post by bradrose5200 on Sept 9, 2008 15:38:43 GMT -6
Armstrong confirms come back By Shane Stokes
Lance Armstrong has confirmed that he will indeed be part of the peloton in 2009, citing cancer awareness as the motivation for an unlikely return to the sport. Winning an eighth Tour de France is the goal for the Texan, who will be 37 years of age on September 18.
"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," he said in a statement released to The Associated Press. "This year alone, nearly eight million people will die of cancer worldwide. ... It's now time to address cancer on a global level."
Armstrong retired from the sport on the day he won a record seventh consecutive title in the Tour, and said at the time that he was done with professional racing. After running several marathons, he competed in the Leadville 100 mountainbike event in August, placing second there.
According to AP, Armstrong’s aim will be success in the biggest race in cycling. The Tour "is the intention," his spokesman Mark Higgins said, "but we've got some homework to do over there."
"We're not going to try to win second place," said Bill Stapleton, Armstrong’s lawyer.
Higgins said that the team he will ride with remains undecided, but Johan Bruyneel has said that if Armstrong does decide to come back, it will most likely be with Astana.
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