Armstrong to race Giro d'Italia

Armstrong will make his comeback at the Tour Down Under in January

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong will race in the Giro d'Italia for the first time next year.

The 37-year-old will make his comeback at the Tour Down Under in January after coming out of retirement last month.

The American used to concentrate on the Tour de France exclusively but insists he will "give his utmost" in the Giro, which takes place from 9-31 May 2009.

"I've raced for a long time and I never did the Giro which was one of the biggest regrets I ever had," he said.

"Fortunately for myself I get to erase that regret and be there for the 100th year anniversary and maybe get a good result, who knows."

606: DEBATE How will Armstrong fare on his comeback?

The three-week Giro, one of the three major stage races along with the Tour de France and the Tour of Spain (Vuelta), will end five weeks before the Tour de France begins on 5 July.

Angelo Zomegnan, the cycling director of RCS Sport - the Giro d'Italia organiser, said he was not surprised that Armstrong had decided to compete in the race for the very first time.

"No cycling champion had ever considered not taking part in the Giro d'Italia and Lance is the only one that, having won the Tour de France in its centenary, could achieve the same mark in the Giro d'Italia centenary," he said.

"Lance knows how much affection the Italians have for him dating back to the years when he lived in Lake Como.

"We should also mention the project of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, Livestrong, in which Italy and the Giro will represent the ideal territory to highlight the problems regarding the fight against cancer."