"I cannot guarantee an eighth Tour victory," the 37-year-old former Tour de France champion said today as he addresses more than 60 heads of state and other attendees of a meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative in New York.
"But I can guarantee you that the Livestrong message will touch all aspects of our society, all continents of our society and certainly touch all the different aspects of cancer." Armstrong went on to say.
According to VeloNews the other big announcements Armstrong's press conference include:
"• Astana The deputy president of the Kazakhstan cycling federation said Armstrong will join the Kazakh-financed Astana team, as reported by VeloNews.com on Sept. 8.
• Anti-Doping plan The New York Times reported that Armstrong was talking with Don Catlin, a leading anti-doping scientist, to head Armstrong’s personal anti-doping program. Catlin is the former head of the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory, and the chief science officer of Anti-Doping Sciences Institute, a testing and consulting company. Catlin testified at Floyd Landis' WADA hearing in 2007.
“I know as much as anybody does how to beat the system; he’s not going to beat me,” Catlin told The Times.
• Phinney and Merckx The Times also reported that Armstrong
was forming a U23 road racing team that would be managed by retired pro
Axel Merckx and would include Olympian Taylor Phinney, who currently
races for Garmin-Slipstream.
Taylor's father, Davis Phinney told the Times: “You have this wonderful synchronicity between three legs of a stool: Lance, the Phinney family with Connie and me, then Axel, who is the son of the other great rider in the history of the sport.”
• Tour Down Under Officials at Australia's Tour Down Under stage race, held in January, announced that Armstrong was confirmed to resume his road racing career at the event.
“Lance participating in the Tour Down Under will mean the biggest influx of overseas and interstate visitors to any sporting event in South Australia’s history," said the region's premier, Mike Rann.
• Cyclocross Meanwhile, at the Interbike trade show in Las Vegas — where Armstrong will hold a news conference Thursday — speculation continued about the effect of Armstrong's return on the sport and the industry. Reports that Armstrong will race in some U.S. cyclocross events this fall were a major topic of conversation ahead of Wednesday night's CrossVegas race in Las Vegas"
For more information on this developing story:
- You can read about the press conference in the New Your Times HERE.
- You can get the latest inside buzz from VeloNews HERE.
- And you can read about the start of his comeback in Australia HERE.
- And you can read about how Armstrong intends to partner with a leading antidoping scientist HERE.
