BARCELONA, Spain, July 9, 2009 (AFP) – Lance Armstrong was reminded of the longevity of his cycling career when he returned to Barcelona on the sixth stage of the Tour de France, 17 years after the 1992 Olympics.

Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France champion, competed for the United States at the Barcelona Games’ road race won by Fabio Casartelli, who later joined Armstrong at Motorola.

The Italian was killed three years later when he crashed on the descent of the Col de Portet d’Aspet during the 1995 Tour de France.

Armstrong, who won the race from 1999-2005, is racing at the Tour for the first time in four years and finished safely among the bunch on Thursday as Thor Hushovd won the stage.

The 37-year-old Armstrong retired after his last victory in 2005 but came out of retirement last autumn, returning officially to the professional peloton with Astana at the Tour Down Under in Australia last January.

Ahead of three days in the Pyrenees Armstrong is second overall at just 0.22secs behind Saxo Bank’s Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland.