Armstrong Will Race for Astana in Comeback Quest

Lance Armstrong announced on Wednesday that he will indeed rejoin his longtime team director Johan Bruyneel as he has signed on with Team Astana for the 2009 bike racing season.

The most immediate implication is: how will Alberto Contador, the current Astana team leader and winner of the 2007 Tour de France, react to this news? Contador has said that should Armstrong join Team Astana, he will likely switch teams. In his announcement, Armstrong stated that he hopes Contador will stick with the Astana squad, but that remains to be seen.

Armstrong is returning to pro biking after a 3 year hiatus, during which he ran 3 marathons (twice New York, once Boston) all under 3 hours in time and competed in mountain biking races. Some had hoped Armstrong would return to the triathlon world, where he excelled as a youth, and that he might even join the Ironman circuit and possibly compete in Ironman Hawaii some day. As it stands, Armstrong is now intent on garnering his 8th Tour de France title.

At least, it would seem that Armstrong's goal is to win again in France. But in statements, he has indicated that his main emphasis will be to promote his cancer-prevention foundation. Armstrong is realistic that he is nearing 38 years old, and in the history of the Tour de France, it has been since 1922 that a rider of that age has won.

In order to quell any questions about doping, Armstrong has enlisted the services of anti-doping scientist Don Catlin. Dr. Catlin will monitor and publish for public viewing all results of Armstrong drug testing from now through the 2009 race season.

Related story: Velonews coverage of the Armstrong story.