Tour Of Britain Asks Armstrong To Race
The organisers of The Tour of Britain have issued an invitation to Lance Armstrong and his team to participate in next year’s cycling race as part of his comeback to the sport.
SweetSpot, the organisers and promoters of The Tour of Britain, have extended a written invitation to seven-time Tour de France winner Armstrong to take part and will reiterate the request at a press conference in New York at which the famed cyclist will reveal which team he is to join.
The likelihood is that Armstrong will join the Astana team for his comeback following his retirement 3 years ago.
Armstrong has already confirmed he will be participating in the Tour Down Under in Australia as part of his preparations for the 2009 Tour de France.
The Tour of Britain is currently 8 daily stages long, with a view to increasing it to 9 for the 2009 race, and has already confirmed that it will finish in central London every year until the 2012 Olympics.
The Tour currently has a rolling TV rights deal with ITV – a contract that would subject to renegotiation should Armstrong confirm his appearance in next year’s race.
Armstrong announced earlier this month that his comeback was aimed primarily at promoting his Livestrong charity and its role in fighting cancer.
SweetSpot are already considering a number of initiatives to coincide with Armstrong’s potential appearance including a gala dinner in central London to help boost awareness of the Livestrong cause.
