Armstrong confirms comeback

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong has confirmed he is coming out of retirement.

The 36-year-old won the last of his titles back in 2005 before quitting the sport, but has now confirmed he will go for number eight in the 2009 Tour.

He told Vanity Fair: "I'm going back to professional cycling. I'm going to try and win an eighth Tour de France."

Armstrong, a survivor of testicular cancer, hopes to raise awareness of the disease through his comeback.

The American was diagnosed with cancer in 1996, having already won two Tour stages in his young career.

Armstrong beat the illness and went on to win seven straight Tours from 1999 through 2005.

Talk of a comeback began when Armstrong asked the United States Anti-Doping Agency to be added to the out-of-competition testing pool.

He also revealed he wants his comeback to be as transparent as possible.

"We're going to be completely transparent and open with the press," he said. "This is for the world to see."

Armstrong, who added he was "100%" committed to the plan, also admitted a motivation for his comeback was to finally lay a doping stigma to rest.

In 2006, an independent investigator appointed by the International Cycling Union cleared Armstrong of any wrongdoing in his first Tour victory.

However, Armstrong concedes there may still be people who believe his 1999 title was not won cleanly - something he hopes to put right.

"There's this perception in cycling that this generation is now the cleanest generation we've had in decades, if not forever," he said. "And the generation that I raced with was the dirty generation.

"And, granted, I'll be totally honest with you, the year that I won the Tour, many of the guys that got second through 10th, a lot of them are gone. Out. Caught. Positive tests. Suspended. Whatever.

"And so I can understand why people look at that and go: 'Well, (they) were caught - and you weren't?'

"So there is a nice element here where I can come with really a completely comprehensive program and there will be no way to cheat."