Armstrong arrives in Australia for comeback race

Posted: Sunday 11th January 2009 | 15:29

LANCE Armstrong insists he has never started a season fitter after touching down in Australia for his comeback race.

HE'S BACK: Lance Armstrong arrives in Adelaide for his comeback in the Tour Down Under (Getty images)

The seven-times Tour de France winner arrived in Adelaide today after an intensive training camp in Hawaii.

But he is making no bold predictions about his chances in the Tour Down Under, his first race since his final triumph on the Champs-Elysees in 2005.

"I think my fitness is pretty good," he said.

"Considering other Januarys, I'm probably ahead of where I would have been in other years.

"But I've been training a lot earlier than in previous years as well so I'm optimistic.

"This is the longest break I've had, but it sits well with the nerves and excitement."

Armstrong added he had been studying the course, which has been stiffened this year following criticisms from competitors, on the internet and was confident of a good performance.

"I just don't want to get clobbered too bad," he said. "That's my main motivation for training hard.

"I don't have any illusions. I hope to get in the race and get re-aquainted to the tempo and the speed and what it's like to be around other Tour guys, a fast-moving group, and we will see."

Armstrong will now join up with his Astana team-mates, who arrived in Australia 24 hours earlier. But he may not immediately train with them, according to manager Sean Yates.

He said: "We'll be training as a team, obviously without Lance, for the whole of this week and Lance will come at the end of the week. It won't be a problem to unite."