"The woman who won the marathon (Romanian Constantina Tomescu) was 38.
Older athletes are performing very well. Ask serious sports physiologists and they'll tell you age is a wives' tale."
Armstrong said he decided to tackle the Tour again in August, while competing in the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race in Colorado.
Armstrong, a cancer survivor and vocal advocate for cancer patients, hopes to use his return to spread his message of support for those with the disease as well as his call for investment in cancer research.
"This year alone, nearly eight million people will die of cancer worldwide.
Millions more will suffer in isolation, victims not only of the disease but of social stigma ... it's now time to address cancer on a global level," he said.
Armstrong, who won seven consecutive Tour de France titles from 1999 to 2005, has vigorously denied doping accusations that have dogged him even into retirement, and told Vanity Fair that in his comeback he plans to address the issue of doping head-on by submitting to a rigorous testing regime.
"We're going to be completely transparent and open with the press,"
Armstrong said. "So there is a nice element here where I can come with a really completely comprehensive program and there will be no way to cheat."
Armstrong said he would discuss details of his plans for competition in
2009 on September 24 in New York City.
On Monday, cycling website VeloNews.com reported that Armstrong was poised to join the Astana team, although an Astana spokesman denied it.
In his Vanity Fair interview, Armstrong mentions Johan Bruyneel, onetime sporting director of Armstrong's US Postal and Discovery Channel teams who is now general manager of Astana.
Bruyneel himself said on Tuesday morning at the Tour of Spain that he thought reports of the cyclist's impending return were only "a rumor."
However, Bruyneel seemed to leave a door open for the American.
"If he were serious about a comeback ... myself having a team I could not imagine him at CSC or Rabobank," Bruyneel said.
We will bring you more details as we get them. At this point we do not know what team he will ride for, but our guess is on Columbia, or Garmin-Chipolte. No matter the team it is sure to make the 2009 Tour de France the one to watch.
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