09/25/2008
Christian Prudhomme told The Associated Press that the team, Astana, "should be there if there are no ethical problems.''
The Tour barred Astana in 2008 after recurrent doping problems. That raised questions about whether Astana and Armstrong would be invited in 2009. The seven-time winner who retired in 2005 has announced a comeback with Astana, aiming for an eighth Tour crown.
Lance Armstrong will return to competitive cycling with Team Astana in Australia in January when he begins promoting a global cancer awareness campaign, the seven-times Tour de France winner said Wednesday. The 37-year-old American will be reunited at Astana with Johan Bruyneel, who was the Texan's team director for all of his Tour de France victories with the U.S.
Prudhomme, speaking Thursday, noted that Tour organizers barred Astana from all their races in 2008. He said that "if nothing happens in the coming months, they should be at our races in 2009.''
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