News for November20, 1996


Armstrong keen to race next year

Former world champion Lance Armstrong, currently fighting cancer, said he was hoping to resume competitive racing next year.

``I want to race, I want to win again and I feel in my heart that I still can,'' the 25-year-old American said in an interview released on Tuesday by the French sports daily L'Equipe.

``It will all depend on the evolution of my cancer but I still hope to be able to resume training at the end of the year,'' added the 1993 road race world champion, who revealed last month that he had testicular and abdominal cancer.

``At the moment, I ride 90 minutes a day on average. I'm not fit, obviously. My muscles are weak after two months out of action but I'll try to be back in the pack by the end of next spring.''

Before he was aware of his illness, Armstrong signed a contract with new French team Cofidis, who will start racing next year.

Sporting director Cyrille Guimard, who also signed Swiss Tony Rominger and Italian Maurizio Fondriest, said Cofidis would still welcome Armstrong if he were fit enough to join them.