RadioShack team leader Lance Armstrong will follow the same preparation for this year’s Tour de France as he did back in 2001, with the Texan lining out in the Tour de Suisse on June 12th.
Race organisers have confirmed that he will take part in the race, joining other Tour contenders such as Andy and Frank Schleck (Saxo Bank), second and fifth overall last year, plus his own team-mates Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Klöden.
“As regards the participation of Armstrong, I’m happy,” said race director Armin Meier. “For the Swiss tour, it is good that he is here.”
Armstrong’s strongest showing in the Tour de France came in 2001, but he never again rode the Tour de Suisse. He traditionally favoured the Dauphiné Libéré as his final preparation race.
Chief rival Alberto Contador will compete in the Dauphiné this year and Armstrong has indicated that he does not want to go up against the Spaniard before the Tour.
The field in Switzerland will also include the defending champion Fabian Cancellara, who took a break after winning the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, then built form by taking part in the Tour of California. He will join the Schleck brothers and Matti Breschel on the Saxo Bank team.
Other notable names are Luis Leon Sanchez (Caisse d’Epargne), Kim Kirchen, Sergei Ivanov and Robbie McEwen (Katusha), George Hincapie and Alessandro Ballan (BMC Racing Team), Thor Hushovd (Cervélo Test Team), Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas), Simon Spilak (Lampre), Andreas Klöden and Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack), Tom Boonen and Stijn Devolder (Quick Step), Mark Cavendish and Tony Martin (HTC Columbia), Dave Zabriskie and Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin Transitions), Nicolas Roche and Martin Elmiger (Ag2r La Mondiale), Gerald Ciolek and Linus Gerdemann (Team Milram), Simon Gerrans (Team Sky)and Brice and Roman Feillu (Vacansoleil).
The nine-day contest begins in Lugano with a 7.6 kilometre time trial, and concludes just over a week later with another race against the clock, a 26.9 kilometre test in Liestal. In addition to testing riders’ time trial condition before the Tour, it also has enough high mountains to reveal how their climbing legs are.
Armstrong has had a mixed season to date, and so many will be closely monitoring his progress in the race. He crashed out of the recent Tour of California, and also faced allegations made by former team-mate Floyd Landis in relation to claims of doping.
It remains to be seen if these factors could affect his form.