Lance Armstrong heads to Tour Down Under
The Tour Down Under, the first race of the 2011 road cycling reason, will be the last international race for Lance Armstrong, according to the rider. Of course, this is just another of a half-dozen times he has said he is racing his
last race.
“I’m excited to be competing in my last professional ride outside the US at the Santos Tour Down Under,” said Armstrong. “It will be my third time to the event, and I’m sure I will enjoy it as much as I have the first two times.”
The Tour is held in Australia, January 16-23, before the European roads are open for racing, and Armstrong used it as the kick-off for his return to professional cycling in 2009, after spending four years in retirement following his
seventh consecutive win at the Tour de France, in 2005.
“This is an amazing opportunity for cycling fans across the globe to head to Adelaide and be part of history as Lance competes in his farewell ride as a professional on international soil,” said Mike Rann, Premier of South Australia. “Lance is a true hero
of the sport and we are delighted he has chosen to compete again in South Australia and make his international farewell here.”
Armstrong is one of several professionals implicated in an ongoing federal investigation into the former United States Postal Service team. Floyd Landis sparked the investigation by claiming that the team, on which he rode with Armstrong, Johan Bruyneel
and others, had a sophisticated doping program for its riders.
“We understand there's an investigation being conducted. Where that goes, I don't know, because I don't know enough about the investigation to make comment on it,” said Mike Turtur, organiser of the Tour Down Under.
Turtur defended Armstrong’s participation in the race and said they he should only be refused entry in a cycling event if the UCI directs it, stating that the positive publicity of Armstrong’s participating outweighs any doubts about the rider.
“We're in a business here, I know we stage a bike race, but just as importantly, we stage a tourism event which is designed to do a couple of things – bring people to SA and also to increase economic activity.”
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