Lance Armstrong, the American cyclist who is currently making a shock comeback after three years in retirement, has spoken out about his fears of being attacked by angry spectators during the Tour de France next year.

For many years, Armstrong was a dominant force in the world of cycling and he managed to win the Tour de France seven times during his career. However, certain fans of the cyclist lost faith in him after it was claimed that he had used performance enhancing drugs.

Although an independent investigation, which was set up after the French magazine, L’Equipe, revealed that Armstrong’s urine samples had shown traces of the substance called EPO, found the cyclist to be innocent, doubts still remain over the validity of his previous numerous successes.

The cyclist, who is thirty-seven years of age, believes that some people in France remain “aggressive [and] angry” and he is worried that his safety “could be in jeopardy” as a result of such strong feelings. Armstrong has revealed that he understands why people remain uncertain about his past but believes that he has been victimised by the media and the anti-drugs authorities.

Armstrong’s fears are actually based on something which happened during the Tour de France during the 1970s. The Belgian legend, Eddy Merckx, was punched by a French spectator who was unhappy that the cyclist was threatening the record held by the Frenchman, Jacques Anquetil.

Whilst Merckx was cycling along an important part of the route, a spectator broke through the crowd and hit him, an event which denied him a record-breaking victory.

Fans of both cycling and motorsport have been given reason to celebrate after it was announced that Chris Hoy and Lewis Hamilton will race head to head at Wembley.

Chris Hoy, who is a legend in the world of cycling after winning numerous Olympic medals, will race against Lewis Hamilton, the young British Formula One champion, in a man versus machine event in the middle of December.

The Race of Champions event will see Lewis Hamilton drive a road car manufactured by Mercedes whilst Chris Hoy will race his bicycle around the same circuit.

The Formula One champion, who has barely left the sporting headlines since his famous victory, has revealed his excitement at seeing thousands of fans "for the first time since becoming world champion”. Hamilton believes that the Race of Champions will be a fitting end to his extremely successful year.

Chris Hoy is similarly excited about the prospect of the Wembley event. He believes that although he will struggle to match the car in terms of acceleration, the twisty nature of the circuit may work to his advantage. Hoy thinks that the race will be “close” and is keen to give “absolutely everything” in his attempt to overcome the challenge of Hamilton.

Although the race between Hamilton and Hoy will be the highlight of the evening, the Race of Champions event will also see other legends in the world of motorsport competing against each other. Individuals including Michael Schumacher, Andy Priaulx, and Troy Bayliss will be appearing at Wembley.

A stunning performance by Great Britain’s track cycling squad during the World Cup meeting in Manchester this weekend has left British fans of the sport truly ecstatic. Dave Brailsford’s impressive squad were attempting to accumulate the maximum amount of qualifying points available ahead of next year’s World Championships, scheduled to be hosted by Poland.

The squad managed to win all six finals held on Saturday and the competition was extremely tough. Lizzie Armitstead needed to perform well in order to win the women’s scratch competition and she did not disappoint. She finished the race very strongly, using her outstanding ability to accelerate quickly and unexpectedly to maximum effect.

Armitstead was also in action in the women’s team pursuit on Sunday. Armitstead, Katie Colcough and Joanna Rowsell managed to please the home crowd by beating Germany with a time of just over 3 minutes and 26 seconds.

Lizzie Armitstead, who was making her World Cup debut at the age of 19, was keen to thank her female team mates for providing support: “they’re really friendly, they’re not above us or anything, really kind and make you feel welcome”.

The men’s team pursuit squad, made up of Rob Hayles, Ed Clancy, Geraint Thomas and Stephen Burke, managed to overtake Denmark and claim the win. Saturday also saw a good result in the men’s team sprint, with Jamie Staff, Jason Kenny and Ross Edgar performing well to beat Poland.

Chris Newton provided the Manchester crowd with even more excitement. Newton won the points race and then continued to triumph in the 120-lap race. He stated that he had been inspired by the performance of Armitstead and wanted to become part of the British success story of the weekend.

Victoria Pendleton, who had also impressed during Friday’s events, won the time trial in impressive style on Saturday. Sunday saw further fantastic performances from the British squad. A further four gold medals were achieved and Pendleton was once again involved in the success.

She managed to win her third gold in the women’s keirin, overcoming tough competition from Dina Maria Garcia Orrego and Gong Jinjie. Pendleton was pleased with the performance of the female cyclists in Manchester, stating that “it’s so good to see so many girls up here who are very driven and ambitious and they want to be as good as the boys”.

The only real disappointment of the weekend came in the madison event. Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas were unable to beat the German duo of Olaf Pollack and Roger Kluge, and could only manage to finish fifth.

Wiggins had previously spoken of his desire to be successful in this event with new partner Thomas, especially after his disappointment in the madison during the Olympic Games. He believed that the pair had a good chance at winning the event but sadly the competition proved to be too tough.

Fans of cycling will now be looking forward to the next World Cup Classics series, which will be held in Melbourne, Australia, later this month.

British cycling legend, Bradley Wiggins, has revealed his excitement at riding alongside his new partner, Geraint Thomas, in the Madison in the World Cup. Wiggins, who is a triple Olympic gold medallist, was disappointed not to succeed in the event in Beijing and will hope to put his frustration behind him when the World Cup begins in Manchester on the 31st of October.

The cyclist has had previous success in the Madison event, winning the World Championships with previous partner, Mark Cavendish, earlier this year. However, the Olympic Games brought intense disappointment for the duo, as they only managed to finish in eighth position.

Cavendish was said to be extremely frustrated by the failure and, according to reports, he did not speak to Wiggins for a relatively long time following the Olympic Games.

Wiggins was able to console himself with the other gold medals he managed to win but he is still keen to succeed in the Madison at the World Cup, in order to prove his ability to himself as much as to others.

The cyclist believes that he will stand a real chance of success with Thomas. Whilst the pair may not be on “Olympic form”, Wiggins thinks that “the rest of the world will be the same”.

Cycling fans are relishing the prospect of seeing Wiggins pair up with Thomas during the three-day event in Manchester. Other highlights will include the race involving Ed Clancy and Victoria Pendleton, who were also victorious at the Beijing Olympics. Legend of the sport, Chris Hoy, is also set to make a special guest appearance at the event.

Cycling legend Lance Armstrong has spoken publicly about his views concerning the 2009 route for the Tour de France. The cyclist, who has won the event an impressive total of seven times, is aiming to win yet another title next year and he was excited to see the changes to the race’s route.

One of the most notable changes concerns the world-famous Mount Ventoux climb, which has surprisingly been delayed until the penultimate section of the race.

Armstrong believes this to be “innovative and very interesting” but he has also revealed that there has been tension and conflict directed towards the organisers of the Tour.

Carlos Sastre, a famous cyclist from Spain, believes that the new route is so difficult and illogical that he has given up any hope of winning the event. However, many sports pundits have praised the decision to move the Mount Ventoux climb, stating that its new position will keep the event interesting and full of suspense.

The race will start in Monte Carlo with a 15 kilometre time trial on the 4th of July, before moving to Marseille for a lengthy 196 kilometre stage. One of the highlights is bound to be the 38 kilometre team time trial scheduled to be held in Montpellier.

Armstrong, who retired from cycling in 2005 before announcing his desire to return to the Tour de France earlier this year, was quick to notice the reintroduction of the team time trial and expressed his excitement at the prospect. The cyclist summed up his mood by stating that he “could not have hoped for a more different Tour”.

The 37-year-old has also been pondering the issue of who will lead the Astana team next year. Armstrong is one of four cyclists who are being considered and the competition is fierce, with the Spaniard Alberto Contador emerging as a hot favourite.

Contador (who has also spoken publicly about his happiness and excitement concerning the new route) won the 2007 Tour de France and has become a true legend in the world of cycling.

The other cyclists in with a chance are Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Kloden. Armstrong remained diplomatic when questioned about the impending decision, stating that it is still too early to make an educated guess at the outcome.

Furthermore, the American was quick to reiterate his commitment to the team as a whole and revealed that Astana is “blessed” to have the “strongest team in the world”.

The cyclist is preparing to compete in the Tour Down Under in January before undertaking his first real test since returning to the cycling world, in the Giro d’Italia scheduled for May of next year.

Whether Armstrong ends up competing in the Tour de France remains to be seen. The boss of Astana believes that the cyclist may not be physically fit enough to cope with the challenges of the Tour.

The director of the Tour has refused to speculate on the issue, stating that it is purely Armstrong’s decision whether or not he chooses to attend the event. The director has conceded that the cyclist is “special” but if he arrives in Monaco he will simply be “a rider like others”.

Last week, the Rugby Football League announced that Britain has constructed plans to host the next World Cup. Executive chairman of the RFL, Richard Lewis, hopes that the next Rugby League World Cup will be moved to 2013 in order to avoid clashing with the Olympics and has spoken of the strength of Britain’s prospective bid.

The plans that have been drawn up envisage a 12-team tournament, as opposed to the 16-team event seen in 2000 and this year’s 10-team competition. The plans have been greeted with criticism from some sections of the British media, since the RFL lost approximately £700,000 the last time it hosted the World Cup, in 2000.

The 2000 tournament was meant to light up the UK’s sporting scene but the reality was somewhat different. World-class rugby league players were forced to play in embarrassingly empty rugby stadia and several of the matches were ruined by typically British weather conditions.

The British public generally failed to show any excitement during the matches, many of which were one-sided and thus boring. Those fans who did have a passion for the sport encountered difficulties whilst trying to purchase tickets on match days and this resulted in many fans missing large parts of the games.

Those involved in the sport were particularly concerned with the poor marketing for the matches. However, Richard Lewis believes that important lessons have been learnt from that experience and says that the UK is now “the right place” for the World Cup to be staged.

Written by Charlotte Cook

Ivan Basso has spoken of his excitement at returning to competitive racing following a two-year suspension for his part in the Operation Puerto doping inquiry. The Italian cyclist believes that he can make a successful comeback and prove to the world of cycling that his previous victories were achieved honestly.

Basso won the Giro d’Italia in 2006 but was suspended after police found bags of blood that he admitted belonged to him. Although he made this confession, the 30-year-old still claims that he never used the blood to improve his performance during competitive racing.

Spanish police found over 200 code-named bags of blood that were all linked to leading cyclists, including Basso. Other cyclists implicated in the controversy include Jan Ullrich, the former winner of the Tour de France, and Roberto Heras, who has previously won the Tour of Spain.

Basso will return to action two days after his ban ends, on the 24th of October. He will travel to Tokyo to take part in the one-day Japan Cup and has spoken of his excitement at experiencing the emotions of competing, which he has been unable to feel for two years.

The cyclist believes that he is in “good form” and is confident that he can “do well” in both Tokyo and Argentina, where he will race in the Tour of San Luis in January next year. These races are good opportunities for the cyclist to reach the peak of his ability prior to the Tour of California in February, which in itself will be the perfect preparation for the 2009 Giro d’Italia.

Performing well in the Giro is Basso’s “biggest objective for 2009” but the races that form the build-up to that race will be instrumental in ensuring that the Italian’s comeback is successful. They will also allow him to build up a rapport with his new team mates, as Basso will be racing for new team, Liquigas.

Ivan Basso was born in Gallarate, in Lombardy, and ironically grew up living next door to Claudio Chiappucci. Chiappucci was forced into retirement after being found guilty of doping more than once. He impressed during the 1995 Junior World Championships and won the World Championship for under 23-year-olds just three years later.

The following year, he turned professional and competed in his first Giro d’Italia. Although he did not manage to finish the race, he publicly stated his ambition to win it in the future. Basso’s first professional victory came in the Regio Tour in 2000 with Amica Chips-Tacconi Sport.

2001 was a successful year for the Italian, who made his Tour de France debut after moving to Fassa Bortolo and joining up with Giancarlo Ferretti. He managed to finish seventh in the 2003 Tour de France and helped fellow Italian, Luca Paolini, win a bronze medal at the 2004 World Championships, held in Verona.

It was in 2006, however, that Basso really lit up the cycling world. He won the Giro d’Italia in an impressive manner, thrashing the other competitors.

However, the Operation Puerto doping inquiry put an end to the cyclist’s rapid development, as he was forced to miss out on professional competition for two years. It will be interesting to see if he is able to recapture some of the form that proved so effective prior to his suspension.

Written by Charlotte Cook

Cycling legend, Lance Armstrong, recently shocked the world of sport by announcing his plans to come out of retirement to compete in the Tour de France. Armstrong has never been one to shy away from controversy and his reasons for returning should certainly be taken with a pinch of salt.

The official reason behind the cyclist’s return is a desire to “raise awareness of the global cancer burden”, a charitable intention somewhat undermined by the subsequent comment from his manager that “we’re not going to try to win second place”. So why exactly is Armstrong coming out of retirement?

Perhaps the first, and most cynical, reason that springs to mind is financial gain. Armstrong has been quick to put a stop to this kind of speculation, stating that he is not going to ask for a salary. Whether this is true or not is beside the point.

Some form of income is bound to come as a result of the media frenzy surrounding Armstrong’s recent announcement. On the other hand, the cyclist’s bank account is hardly at risk of running low, given his lucrative sponsorship deals with Nike and Trek bikes.

Some pundits have suggested that Armstrong is secretly keen to prove that his previous victories in the Tour de France have been clean, following continuing speculation that he took the banned drug, EPO, during the 1990s. However, this argument appears somewhat tenuous, especially since Armstrong has already passed dozens of drug tests over the years. Furthermore, would such an independent and self-assured character really result to such drastic measures just to prove certain sports critics wrong?

Perhaps the real reason lies behind this self-assured sense of identity that the cyclist has built over the years. After so many years at the top of his sport, it must be extremely difficult for Armstrong to simply let go of that area of his life. He has focussed his energies on raising a tremendous amount of money for charity but has seemingly not been able to experience the thrills provided by regular competition.

Many other sportsmen and women have found themselves in similar predicaments following retirement and have reversed their decisions without any of the speculation that is surrounding Armstrong’s announcement.

Whatever the reason for the cyclist’s decision, it certainly is a brave one. He has put his reputation on the line and ultimately risks humiliation. After all, Armstrong will be 37 when the Tour de France begins and only one cyclist over the age of 34 has ever won the tournament, and that was over 80 years ago. Rabobank team leader, Adri van Houwelingen, believes that it will be “impossible” for the cyclist to win the Tour de France, stating that Armstrong will be unable to “come back on the level he had before” as a young man.

However, in response to questions over his age, Armstrong has been quick to remind the public of the examples of Dara Torres, a 41-year old Olympic medallist swimmer, and Constantina Tomescu-Dita, who won a gold medal in the Olympic Marathon at the age of 38. Ultimately, the message seems clear: write Armstrong off at your peril.

Written by Charlotte Cook

Lance Armstrong wants that eighth Tour De France as the American has confirmed that he is coming out of retirement for the 2009 event.

The cynics will say that now he's found a new wonder drug that can't be detected but those people just disgust me.

I hope he goes and does it because he is just a great inspiration.

The addition of a new sport to the Olympic Games is a tentative process and many get no further than the initial demonstration period. Popular sports such as American football and water skiing have failed to convince the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of their merits and lasted no longer than a year before being replaced. This year’s Olympic Games welcomes another new sport: one with a distinctly modern image - bicycle motocross (BMX).

Athletes participate in BMX in a plethora of different ways. The sport belongs to the same school of extreme sports as skateboarding, snowboarding and motocross, and the events within the discipline range from simple races to the more dangerous Vert event which focuses on style and skill over time or distance. The sport has become increasingly popular with thrill seekers due to its relatively low cost and the fact that it can be enjoyed on almost any surface. Riders actively seek out new terrain and locations to hone their skills, craft their arenas from the urban environment, and may even make their own ramps and jumps.

The Olympic BMX event is a competition of speed in which a number of competitors (eight during the semi-finals and four in the final proper) race around a dirt track complete with hillocks, ramps and tight corners. As such, the event has much more in common with the high octane world of motocross than with snow or skateboarding. The decision to avoid Vert BMX is a consequence of the amount of amateur riders that choose to specialise in the field which, at present, is very low due to the sport’s inherent potential for career-ending injuries. Beijing’s Laoshan BMX venue became the official venue for the five events contested on the 21^st and the 23^rd of August. The final was scheduled to take place on the 22^nd but was postponed due to a spell of bad weather that made the course treacherous to riders.

Despite the dangers associated with the sport, American rider, Donny Robinson, believes that his involvement in BMX racing removed him from other, less desirable theatres: ‘You’re so focussed, […] you couldn't ask for anything better as a kid. And our sport's a little cooler.’ Robinson claimed a bronze medal in the men’s BMX final on Friday while British rider, Shanaze Reade, missed out on the podium after taking a tumble in the final. She escaped with minor injuries but was relegated from the competition. The two gold medallists were Anne-Caroline Chausson from France and Latvian rider, Māris Štrombergs.

BMX replaced the long-established time trial cycling event, effectively closing off an avenue of competition to make way for a niche (but very popular) alternative. The inclusion of snowboarding (since 1998, although the events have been altered subsequently) and BMX racing among long-established sports such as boxing and swimming may mark a move towards a more commercialised Olympic games where appealing to a younger, more ‘modern’ audience is paramount for the continuing success of the IOC and of the Games themselves.

Perhaps the most important question to ask of a new Olympic sport is: will it survive the four year hiatus and return for a second run at London 2012? BMX racing received a great deal of media attention over the last two weeks and was lauded as a thrilling spectacle by Reuters, the BBC and Sky Sports who thought that the event was a far-cry from the more disciplined sports that have graced the Olympics for hundreds of years. The success of BMX racing is an important step forward for extreme sports and the IOC may yet welcome skateboarding, surfing, gliding, or other niche events into the Olympic family.

Written by Chris Illingworth