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PARIS, Oct 8, 2008 (AFP) - Seven-time Tour de France Lance Armstrong was on
Wednesday cleared to race in the 2009 Tour Down Under in Australia, the
International Cycling Union (UCI) announced.

The American, who stunned cycling by announcing his intentions to take part
in next year’s Tour de France, targeted the event in Australia as the first
step on his comeback after a three-year absence.

It was clouded in doubt as the veteran was told that he had to respect the
UCI’s ‘biological passport’ rule demanding that athletes must be registered
with an anti-doping programme six months prior to competing.

But the world governing body said it was satisfied that Armstrong could take
part.

“The International Cycling Union (UCI) has decided to approve Lance
Armstrong’s participation in the forthcoming Tour Down Under in Australia, to
be held 20-25 January, the first event of the 2009 UCI ProTour,” said a UCI
statement.

“According to Article 77 of the Anti-Doping Regulations introduced in 2004,
a retired rider may only return to competition by informing the UCI six months
in advance in order to allow him/her to be available for out-of-competition
testing.

“Consequently, Lance Armstrong would only be able to return to the sport at
international level from 1 February 2009, a week after the end of the
Australian event.

“In respect of this situation, the UCI has taken into account the progress
made in its anti-doping programme since 2004. As a result of the improvements
implemented, riders are now subject to a much-reinforced system of monitoring
compared to that of the past.

“Consequently, the aim of Article 77 at the time of its introduction in
2004 (to ensure that a rider returning to competition is subject to the same
degree of testing as active riders) can be better achieved through careful
application of the current methods of the anti-doping programme than by the
strict application of a time period.

“The UCI can confirm that Lance Armstrong has and will be the subject of
very strict monitoring throughout the period running up to his return to the
peloton.”