Sep 10, 2008, 11:32 GMT
Washington - Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong confirmed on Tuesday he intends to return to racing next year.
'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,' Armstrong said in a statement posted on his foundation's website.
Armstrong, 36, said his comeback was meant to increase awareness of cancer. This year alone, nearly eight million people will die from the disease.
'It's now time to address cancer on a global level,' he said.
Armstrong retired from cycling after winning his seventh straight Tour de France crown in 2005. He said he planned to announce details of his plans September 24 and did not say if he would compete for an eighth Tour de France title.
His former racing team Astana said it would welcome an Armstrong return. 'If there was a possibility to sign him we would of course think about it. He would be welcome,' Astana spokesman Philppe Maertens told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa on Tuesday.
The US magazine VeloNews reported Armstrong planned on racing in the Tour de France.
Talk of an Armstrong comeback increased when the US anti-doping agency USADA confirmed he had reinstated himself into the out-of- competition testing pool.
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