Lance Armstrong is coming back!!!

But how Astana can convince a rider who has the potential to join the elusive five-Tour club himself to put his plans on ice for yet another year is anyone's guess.

The likelihood is that Contador will demand to be released from his contract, whereby wiping out Astana's leadership structure and forward planning in one-fell swoop. All in favour of following a path which quite probably only has the legs to last one year.

And yet for the good of the sport, Armstrong and Contador must be on different teams next year. If the American's comeback is to have any credibility it must be done in spite and not in collusion of his successor.

Race director Christian Prudhomme told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Armstrong and his team will have to follow all the drug-testing rules "that are much more strict than they were before."

"If Lance Armstrong is at the start of the Tour de France, it will be the same thing for him and for his team, of course," he said. "I can't say anything else. There won't be any exceptions."

Many things still need to happen for Armstrong to actually make it to the starting line next July, Prudhuomme said.

"You have to remember we are in mid-September and that much water will run under the bridge until the Tour de France departure in Monaco," he said.

The Tour director noted the doping speculation that dogged Armstrong when he was at the top of his sport.

"Suspicion has followed Lance Armstrong since 1999, everyone knows that," he said.

Armstrong never tested positive and has always maintained he was clean, having passed hundreds of drug tests during his career. Since his retirement, rules and anti-doping measures have been further tightened in France and in cycling.

This year, blood tests were carried out on all riders just days before the start in Brest.

"All the Tour riders, and Lance Armstrong if that is the case, they will have to submit to rules that were harder than they were before, because it is necessary," Prudhomme said.

Originally Posted by Safin

Cos its a game they love and sometimes its hard to leave what you love so much.
Its not just sports, its in life.

If you start something, and you love it, you can never say good bye. Whether someone likes it or not.