RadioShack leader Lance Armstrong has decided to take part in this year's Circuit de la Sarthe which begins on April 6th, the organizers confirmed Thursday. The seven-time Tour de France winner has used the French race as preparation for three of his Tour victories, in 1999, 2001 and 2003.
Armstrong's results so far this year include 25th overall at the Tour Down Under in January, and seventh in Vuelta a Murcia last week. His focus in Spain was on the final time trial, where he was beaten by fellow Tour de France hopeful Bradley Wiggins, who finished just one place behind the Texan, in fourth overall, at last year's Tour de France.
At the time, the American expressed disappointment in his performance at Murcia, and had mentioned wanting to add more races to his schedule to be better prepared for July. The four-day race in France has worked well for Armstrong in the past, so he'll use the race to try to help him rediscover the legs that secured him seven Tour crowns.
The 38-year-old will also take part in Milan-Sanremo this Saturday, the opening Classic of the season. He is not expected to feature in the nearly 300 kilometer event, but instead will use the race for training. He was 125th in La Primavera last year, with his best placing ever being 44th in 2002.