LANCE Armstrong admits he is feeling "a heck of a lot of nerves" ahead of his high-profile return to the Tour de France.
The seven-time winner retired in 2005, but returned to competitive cycling this season.
He will join Levi Leipheimer and Alberto Contador on the Astana team for the Tour, which begins in Monaco tomorrow, and admits he is feeling the butterflie
s. "I don't have the same confidence as I had before, that's natural, I think, after being away for four years," he said.
"I come with an extreme sense of excitement and also, quite honestly, a heck of a lot of nerves, but come Saturday afternoon I'll be excited to be there. I'm going to race hard for three weeks and if that's for Alberto or Levi or anybody else on the team, the most important thing is we win the race.
"It's just great to be here and be in this great principality. What a beautiful setting and what a great place to start this tour."
Asked whether this is the "first step" of his comeback, the 37-year-old said: "There's been other days before this one but yes, the tour is the jewel of cycling, the one event people follow in the United States, Asia, eastern Europe or Africa, the one that captures everyone's imagination.
"So, of course, the impression is that this is the beginning. But there was a lot of hard work that went into it before, not just in racing but in training – a lot of preparation, a lot of thought went into it – but certainly it's the one everyone pays attention to."
Bjarne Riis, the man who led Carlos Sastre to victory last year, has warned Armstrong he should be ready to struggle against younger rivals. "Lance is obviously not too old. He will probably be very good and play a great role in this Tour," said the Saxobank leader. "But to beat younger riders like Contadoror Frank Schleck in the climbs, I don't think it is possible."
