Lance Armstrong Puts Brakes On Retirement

7-Time Tour De France Winner Will Compete In 2009 Event, Raise Cancer Awareness

(AP)  Lance Armstrong is getting back on his bike, determined to win an eighth Tour de France.

Armstrong's return from cancer to win the Tour a record seven consecutive times made him a hero to cancer patients worldwide and elevated cycling to an unprecedented level in America.

The Tour "is the intention," Armstrong's spokesman Mark Higgins told The Associated Press, "but we've got some homework to do over there."

Added Bill Stapleton, Armstrong's lawyer and longtime confidant: "We're not going to try to win second place."

What team he'll ride with and in what other races he'll compete are undecided, Higgins said.

"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," the 36-year-old Armstrong 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."

In an exclusive interview with Vanity Fair, Armstrong told the magazine he's 100 percent sure he's going to compete in the Tour de France next summer. "I'm going back to professional cycling," he said in the story posted Tuesday on the magazine's Web site. "I'm going to try and win an eighth Tour de France."

On Monday, the cycling journal VeloNews reported on its Web site that Armstrong would compete with the Astana team, led by close friend John Bruyneel, in the Tour and four other road races — the Amgen Tour of California, Paris-Nice, the Tour de Georgia and the Dauphine-Libere.

But there are no guarantees Astana would be allowed to race in the 2009 Tour. Race officials kept the team out of the 2008 Tour because previous doping violations.

Armstrong's return to competition raises the question of whether he risks damaging his athletic legacy. And his own words likely will cause some to wonder if he'll approach his return with the same steely-eyed determination and passion.

In an interview published in the October issue of Men's Journal, Armstrong said, "I'm glad I'm not cycling anymore ... It was fun while it lasted, and I liked it, but I'm so focused on other things now that I never think about it."

He's certainly thinking about it now.

With his riveting victories over cancer and opponents on the bike, to his work for cancer awareness and gossip-page romances, Armstrong has become a modern-day American icon.

He was an established sprint champion when he was diagnosed in 1996 with testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain. Doctors gave him less than a 50 percent chance of survival.

Surgery — he has a half-moon scar on his head from the brain operation — and brutal cycles of chemotherapy saved his life. From there, it was determination and powerful self-discipline that led him back to the bike.

His stunning win at the 1999 Tour de France was just the start. Under the guidance of close friend and U.S. Postal Service team director Bruyneel, Armstrong morphed from a sprinter into a technical expert who could climb mountains at speeds that punished other riders.

Armstrong's goal every year was to win the Tour de France, the sport's biggest race, and he dominated the Pyrenees and Alps like no other rider ever had.

The victories also forced him to defend himself against skeptics who questioned whether he was cheating by using performance-enhancing drugs. He got in several public spats with officials at the World Anti-Doping Agency.

While many riders were caught doping, Armstrong never tested positive and has always maintained he was a clean rider, using hundreds of passed drug tests during his career as proof.

His Lance Armstrong Foundation has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for cancer awareness and survivorship. The foundation's yellow "Livestrong" wristbands that started selling in 2004 are still seen everywhere — with many copycats.

He retired after his 2005 Tour de France victory, diving head first into making cancer a political issue and causing some to ask if he may someday run for office himself.

"This is a damn war for me. It's nothing other than that," Armstrong told The Associated Press in 2007. "I had the disease and I hate it and I hate that we haven't made enough progress against it."

Armstrong has lobbied for cancer treatment funding in Washington, D.C., co-hosted televised cancer forums with presidential candidates and was instrumental in 2007 persuading the Texas Legislature to approval a $3 billion fund for cancer research. He can rally millions of his "Livestrong Army" through his Web site to support cancer causes.

His social life has done just as much to keep him in the spotlight.

After his divorce from wife Kristin, the mother of his three children, Armstrong has had high-profile relationships with rocker Sheryl Crow, fashion designer Tory Burch and most recently, actress Kate Hudson.

[keithle1]

You make it sound like he''s just riding his bicycle down the street to pick up something at 7-Eleven.

[cbs_tom]

"what talent does it take to ride a bicycle"?
"So what have you accomplished?
bobby, cbs-tom, I could give you more, but whats the use"?
Posted by slim1h2o at 06:25 PM : Sep 09, 2008
slim1h2o,
I think your missing the point. Your accomplishments and skills are honorable.
Your whole argument is the denigration of this man''s ability to make money or talent. Why are your talents any better than his? If this is what he is good at (and he is) then so be it. If you don''t like bicycle racing, don''t watch it.
Bicycle racing is not just "riding a bike". To be at the race level that he is, requires as much if not more training than any other professional sport or job. The training is excruciatingly painful, intense, and psychologically difficult(I know this from personal experience).
And, who is to say that this is the only talent that he has?
If you''re stating that this is not newsworthy, again, he is the 7 time champ of the Tour De France.

[bobnjersey]

[Umm...I asked you a fair question, and you never answered. Thanks for reminding me, so how about it bobby,,what talents do you have? Certainly not debating with any coherency. In fact it takes you and cbs-tom, and you both are losing, and skirting the real question, "what talent does it take to ride a bicycle"? ]
[Posted by slim1h2o at 06:04 PM : Sep 09, 2008]

it''s not a question of talent ... he''s a symbol ... a symbol of perseverence and conquest over insurmountable odds ... just like the mountains he climbs on his ''no talent bicycle''.

do you understand the signifigance of symbols ... and how they can be used to inspire others to greatness ... even if it''s just in the context of their own life.

i didn''t think so .... since you''re too busy being focused on yourself and how much better you are than everyone else.

[slim1h2o]

I don''''t think you mentioned your poetry.


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Posted by erasmus81 at 08:48 PM : Sep 09, 2008


Nope I didn''t, but then that was part of the "I could give you more" part. LOL

And too, I didn''t realise that you knew about that aspect of my life.

I also notice, that neither has re-posted anything. Like I said, they can''t debate, all they do is call people names.

[keithle1]

Go for it! Scare the poop out of the frogs! USA! USA! USA!

Good idea. He''ll raise a lot of attention/awareness about cancer which makes AIDS look like a teddy bear picnic.

What Armstrong did is so unbelievably difficult: winning the Tour seven years in a row. I wish him luck.

[erasmus81]

Posted by slim1h2o at 06:25 PM : Sep 09, 2008

I don''t think you mentioned your poetry.

[b-gene]

I thought his new profession was boasting how good he must be in bed. (do a web search for ''''Lance Armstrong S e x'''' and see for yourself.)


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Posted by hypnotoad72 at 05:09 PM : Sep 09, 2008


I''ll pass on that.

[pepperwood2]

FRS reality works! Armstrong tired of being retired. I''d like a couple of month''s free samples of course. CACKLE CACKLE CACKLE

[slim1h2o]

did someone hack your computer and post this on your behalf?]


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Posted by bobnjersey at 05:55 PM : Sep 09, 2008


And just to give you an idea of my talents;

Cross Country; I ran one year in 7th grade, came in 1st from my school in the 1st invitational that I ever ran, I was ahead of the varsity, and JV squads.

Bowling; Lifetime average of 211. (Pro level)
Also, in the same business, designed, and proved several replacement parts in the pinsetters. and have the Pats.

And when I was 12, I saved 4 lives, from a speeding car, before the kids was run over.

And I also saved a life when I was a volonteer fireman.

So what have you accomplished?

bobby, cbs-tom, I could give you more, but whats the use?

[slim1h2o]

did someone hack your computer and post this on your behalf?]


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Posted by bobnjersey at 05:55 PM : Sep 09, 2008


Umm...I asked you a fair question, and you never answered. Thanks for reminding me, so how about it bobby,,what talents do you have? Certainly not debating with any coherency. In fact it takes you and cbs-tom, and you both are losing, and skirting the real question,

"what talent does it take to ride a bicycle"?

[bobnjersey]

[Hey whack nuttt,,go back and read my posts again,,,I didn''''t say that I was the best of everything. So just get over yourself, already.]
[Posted by slim1h2o at 05:41 PM : Sep 09, 2008]

name calling ... whack nuttt? does this make you ignorant, a bad debater, or a loser?


here''s your initial response:

{are you the best in the world w/ ''any'' of your many talents? have you repeatedly been the best more than a half a dozen times? are you even close?
(Posted by bobnjersey at 01:43 PM : Sep 09, 2008)

Of course,,,,,,How about you Bobby?
(Posted by slim1h2o at 01:49 PM : Sep 09, 2008)
}

so ... you never said that you were the best at many talents? you never said you were repeatedly the best more than a half a dozen times?

did someone hack your computer and post this on your behalf?]

[n4432793]

WHY DO YOU CARE?
Why does anyone care if Lance Armstrong returns to cycling? No one really gives a reason for same. I think it is a good thing that a person can return to whatever endeavor they were in and make a go of it, especially to promote a wonderful cause. This might not be his only reason, but who really cares. How does it affect the negatives'' lives?
Mr. Armstrong''s return to cycling is a good thing for cycling itself. Even though there are good cyclist now, Lance Armstrong is not just good, he is a "great" cyclist. Doping. NOTTTT. If so, he would have been caught by now and the media would have eaten him alive. There is no doubt of that. Age, there have been many athletes that have returned to their sport when they were supposedly too old. SO WHAT!! Respectfully, get along with your lives.
Can''t wait to see you cycling again Mr. Armstrong.

[slim1h2o]

this is usually a sign of a liar ... or a narcisist ... either way.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/d
efine.php?term=narcisist


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Posted by bobnjersey at 05:05 PM : Sep 09, 2008


Hey whack nuttt,,go back and read my posts again,,,I didn''t say that I was the best of everything. But I do have more than one talent, other than riding a bicycle around.

And just because he has more money than you, thats not the only way to measure success.

So just get over yourself, already.

[slim1h2o]

I believe it was you that made this demeaning statement.


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Posted by cbs_tom at 04:44 PM : Sep 09, 2008








And where am I wrong? If I''m not wrong, then it''s not demeaning, just the truth.







The truth hurts,,don''t it?

[hypnotoad72]

I thought his new profession was boasting how good he must be in bed. (do a web search for ''Lance Armstrong S e x'' and see for yourself.)

[bobnjersey]

[Sounds like you and cbs-tom could be a little jealous,,seems how you go right to name calling. Usually a sign of weak debating skills. Or just ignorance. Either way,,,]
[Posted by slim1h2o at 03:06 PM : Sep 09, 2008]

what''s to be jealous of ... an online bloviated poster claiming to be the best in the world at many things ... having multiple talents that they don''t want to discuss?

this is usually a sign of a liar ... or a narcisist ... either way.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=narcisist

[cbs_tom]

"Get this dope head out of sports once for all, he didn''''t have a cancer for nothing, liar and cheater".
Posted by zokin at 04:56 PM : Sep 09, 2008
What is your proof?

[cbs_tom]

"They guy has no discernable talent, other than riding a bicycle".
Posted by slim1h2o at 01:05 PM : Sep 09, 2008
I believe it was you that made this demeaning statement.

[shanev137]

What is it about all these rich, middle-aged (old) athletes who can''t retire or stay retired?

[slim1h2o]

Very, very rarely at that elite level of performance in any sport do you see a sudden burst of energy by an athlete that isn''''t due to drugs.


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Posted by gce65 at 03:12 PM : Sep 09, 2008


I agree,,ye there is SOME people on here that wants to call it a "talent".

But the whole point I was making that,either today''s pro athletes retire, or don''t. I don''t care which, I get tired of all the hoopla surrounding all this nonsense.