Armstrong having fun Down Under

Published 5:58 pm Wednesday, January 21, 2009

ADELAIDE, Australia — Lance Armstrong says his comeback to cycling will last at least a year.

Beyond that, the seven-time Tour de France champion isn’t sure. It all depends on age, health and his campaign to raise cancer awareness.

In the meantime, as he rides in the Tour Down Under and nowhere near the lead, this much is clear: He’s having a good time.

“The comeback, so to speak, is at least a year,” he said. “It’s not three or four, I don’t think, but it could be two years. I’ve got to get through the first part of this season and then decide.

“There are other things, too, that need to fall into place but primarily my condition and how this all feels and how the (cancer awareness) campaign unfolds.”

The 37-year-old Texan is aiming for another Tour de France crown and said he has no reason to reconsider the wisdom of his comeback after completing two stages of this race. He rode 90 miles in fierce heat Tuesday and another 92 miles in cooler weather Wednesday. The six-day event ends Sunday.

“I came in fairly open minded,” he said. “I didn’t know what to expect in terms of the crowds and the reaction and my condition in the race. Overall, I’m pleased. I said at the beginning I’m glad I made this decision I made and I maintain that statement. I can’t ask for anything more. I’m having fun in the race so I can’t complain about much.”

In the first stage, Armstrong finished in the pack and was 120th of 133 riders. He was more aggressive the next day, riding near the front of the main pack and taking part in two late breakaways, one with a rider half his age.

“I said all along if I were there and I had the opportunity I would definitely make my presence felt in the race,” he said

Armstrong finished 45th Wednesday, 13 seconds behind stage winner Allan Davis of Australia. He looked fit and confident, at one point taking his black and gold bike to the front, briefly pulling away from the pack.

“It was fun to be out in front of a race again,” he said. “As they say over here it was good to give it a twist, to give it a crack.

“It’s going to take awhile to adapt to race speed. I’ve said that since I got here and today proved that,” he said. “Those long drags uphill were never my strong suit. But having been out of competition — and you get in the race and it’s fast and guys are strong — it’s a suffer-fest. You suffer when you get to those moments.”

Armstrong is prepared to do just that if that’s what it takes to return to his peak.

“I like to suffer, although it sounds weird,” he said. “I know why I’m doing this. I want to be doing it and I’m having a good time. If I wasn’t having fun I would pack it in.”