Former Team RadioShack rider Lance Armstrong had been expected to compete in the 2011 Ironman World Championships in Hawaii, but now appears to have decided not to do it.
The 39 year old has been training hard since retiring after the Santos Tour Down Under. He has been running and swimming, although problems with the cartilage in his knee has interfered with the latter and caused him to withdraw from a triathlon in Rotorua in New Zealand in January.
Now Armstrong has said that he will be giving the Kona world championship Ironman a miss. He was firstly asked in a Twitter message if he had any marathons planned. His reply suggested the Chicago Marathon could be his next: “eyeing the windy city for the next one,” he stated.
The race takes place one day after the Ironman worlds in Kona, making the timing impossible.
He was then asked by @ChicagoTriClub if he would be at the triathlon worlds. “No Kona for me,” he answered. “Unless hangin out, riding bikes, and swimming w/ whales over the holidays count."
Armstrong had originally been expected to ride the Amgen Tour of California and the new Colorado stage race. However in mid-February he told AP that he didn’t intend to race again, bringing a long career to a close.
He has said that he intends focussing on his foundation in retirement, and that he wasn’t spending time thinking about the investigation into the US Postal Service team.
Armstrong took seven Tour de France victories during his career. He returned to the sport in 2009 aiming to win an eighth, but had to be satisfied with third place that year.