Armstrong ready for US comeback

LANCE ARMSTRONG may be happy playing a support role to his Astana team leader Levi Leipheimer when the 2009 Amgen Tour Of California gets under way today, but that will not stop him being everyone else’s centre of attention.

Seven-time Tour de France winner Armstrong, 37, continues his comeback in support of his anti-cancer crusade and Livestrong campaign following a three-and-a-half year retirement in this 750-mile, nine-day stage race, starting with a prologue time trial in Sacramento and ending in Escondido, near San Diego on February 22.

It is the American’s first professional race on North American soil since 2005 and Armstrong, who last month finished 29th in the Tour Down Under in Australia in his first race back will ride to help Leipheimer win a third Tour of California in as many years.

“The thing for me to keep in mind is that Levi is super-motivated and super-fit, which he confirmed to us at training camp when we saw him on the bike,” Armstrong told a pre-race press conference on Thursday.

“So we just have to ride for him and hope he rides the time trial like he did last year. I think that’s where the race will be determined.”

The announcement this week, however, that Armstrong is abandoning the independent drug-testing program he developed with anti-doping expert Don Catlin due to high costs has raised eyebrows and will ensure the cyclist’s already closely followed bandwagon will be subject to even more scrutiny.

Armstrong posted the results of seven recent independently conducted tests on his website on Wednesday while he is expected to be tested officially and in line with other competitors by inspectors from the US Anti-Doping Agency.

And he said he was confident that cycling, so undermined by doping scandals in recent years, was finally re-emerging as a clean sport.

“I think that we, in cycling, can sleep well knowing we’ve been more vigilant than anyone else with our testing,” Armstrong said.

“Our testing is unannounced and unexpected. It would be great to push for a global standard where everyone plays by the same rules.”

Cancer survivor Armstrong said he was happy with his fitness levels, both mental and physical.

“I think as far as the science of older athletes goes, performance doesn’t drop off, the mind drops off,” he said. “I’ve had a couple of breaks and my mind is fresh.

“Let’s do it one more time. I feel strong.”