It's official - Lance is back for number 8, and age doesn't matter

"I am happy to announce that after talking with my children, my family and my closest friends, I have decided to return to professional cycling in order to raise awareness of the global cancer burden," Armstrong said in a statement released to The Associated Press. "This year alone, nearly eight million people will die of cancer worldwide. ... It's now time to address cancer on a global level."

NVDL: My gut was right. Coming 2nd in that race in Leadville got those ol' Armstrong juices flowing. If anyone can win the Tour again it is Lance, but even a single win will be tough. Whatever happens will be a great story.

"On a personal note, I like that he's going to be back in the peloton. He's a great friend of mine, and I also think for the sport it's good, too."

NVDL: Lance is 36. I'm 36. I'm with you all the way man. And coincidentally, I am psyched for a return to big (sporting) things myself...;-)

clipped from news.yahoo.com The 36-year-old Armstrong told Vanity Fair in an exclusive interview posted on its Web site Tuesday that he was inspired to return after finishing second last month in the Leadville 100, a lung-searing 100-mile mountain bike race through the Colorado Rockies. "This kind of obscure bike race, totally kick-started my engine," he told the magazine. "I'm going to try and win an eighth Tour de France." In the Vanity Fair interview, Armstrong told the magazine he's 100 percent sure he's going to compete in the Tour next summer. "We're not going to try to win second place," Bill Stapleton, Armstrong's lawyer and longtime confidant, told the AP.