Armstrong set to return

DENVER (AP):

Lance Armstrong is teaming with Denver-based Quiznos to bring a major international pro-cycling stage race to Colorado next summer.

Armstrong hopes to ride in the weeklong race, titled the Quiznos Pro Challenge. The exact route of the August 22-28, 2011, race has not been mapped out yet, but it will include a mix of mountain, sprint and downtown stages.

The seven-time Tour de France champion told The Associated Press it will run through Denver, which will serve as either the start or finish, and probably Boulder plus other front-range cities and also through towns in the Rocky Mountains.

It will be the first pro-cycling race in Colorado since the Coors Classic was the foremost international pro-cycling competition in North America from 1979-88.

"It feels like the birth of a new event, but in many ways it's really the rebirth of an old event," Armstrong told the AP. "This state has a long, long history of supporting a great American stage race, the first of its kind. A lot of American teams and a lot of great American talent were developed out of that."

Armstrong is helping to plan the race. Full details regarding his role will be released later.

With the cancellations of the tours of Georgia and Missouri, the Quiznos Pro Challenge and the Tour of California will be the only ones on United States (US) soil next year. The August dates of Colorado's race will fit between the Tour de France and the Spanish Vuelta, Armstrong noted. The California race is held in the spring.

"The idea is to highlight all the legendary places in Colorado that have a cycling history," Armstrong said.

He believes the Colorado race will draw the world's top professional cyclists and teams, making it successful enough to become an annual event.

Wonderful news

The Quiznos Pro Challenge will be sanctioned by USA Cycling and the International Cycling Union. Course routes, host cities and participating teams will be announced in the coming months.

"The return of a major international stage race to Colorado is wonderful news not only for the state of Colorado, but also for the continued development of American professional cycling," Steve Johnson, chief executive officer of USA Cycling, said in a statement.

Armstrong just got back from a week's vacation in the Bahamas after retiring for a second time from the Tour de France.