30 Apr 2009

Armstrong does u-turn and set to race in New Mexico

7:28 am on 30 April 2009

The American cycling great Lance Armstrong will compete for the first time since breaking his collarbone in Spain last month in New Mexico's Tour de Gila.

In a dramatic u-turn Armstrong will race in the US event in a bid to hone his form for the Giro d'Italia, which begins on May 9th.

His Astana team confirmed Armstrong will race at the April 29th to May 3rd event in New Mexico on an individual basis due to International Cycling Union regulations.

Armstrong's participation in the event was under a cloud because of confusion over Pro Tour teams competing in national-level races.

Normally teams like Astana are not allowed to compete in national-level events, such as the Tour de Gila. However Armstrong and Astana team-mates Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner are allowed to race due to a rule allowing three riders from the same professional team to compete wearing neutral jerseys.