Armstrong to ride Giro

Lance Armstrong will race the Giro d'Italia for the first time as part of his comeback.

Returning legend adds centenary event to his schedule

Lance Armstrong will race the Giro d'Italia for the first time as part of his comeback. The Texan, a seven-time Tour de France winner, recently announced his intention to end three years of retirement and return to the saddle with the Astana team. He will begin his quest in January's Tour Down Under in Australia after the International Cycling Union (UCI) decided to overlook their own rules. Riders have to be in the UCI's anti-doping programme for six months prior to racing, but the governing body has made an exception for Armstrong. The 37-year-old revealed he plans to participate in the three-week Giro (May 9-31) - the event's centenary edition - ahead of an attempt to win the Tour de France for an eighth time in July. "I will give my utmost, and not only to prepare for the Tour," Armstrong said in a statement from Giro organisers RCS Sport. "Not having taken part in the Giro was one of my biggest regrets as a rider. Finally I will be able to do it." Armstrong survived testicular cancer before going on to win the Tour de France every year from 1999-2005 and says his return is an effort to promote a global cancer awareness campaign.