Lance Armstrong's appearance at Tour de Suisse confirmed

LANCE Armstrong's participation in the Tour de Suisse later this month has been confirmed as he gears up for another tilt at the Tour de France.

CONFIRMED: Lance Armstrong will compete at the Tour de Suisse later this month as he gears up for another tilt at the Tour de France (Getty Images)

The seven-time Tour de France winner, who opted against competing in the Giro d'Italia last month to concentrate on the Tour of California, has not competed at the Tour de Suisse since he was successful in 2001.

But his participation has been confirmed by race organisers as the 38-year-old prepares to lead RadioShack at the Tour de France, which makes its Grand Depart from Rotterdam in July.

"We are really proud of having Lance Armstrong in the starting line-up," said Rolf Huser, spokesman for organisers IMG.

"Lance is a big star. It's really important to have him."

The seven-time Tour de France winner will also compete in the five-day Tour de Luxembourg starting Wednesday.