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Thursday, March 19, 1998

Armstrong leaves European racing

By CHIP BROWN / AP Sports Writer

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Trying to do "too much too early in the season," Lance Armstrong is leaving the European cycling circuit following his yearlong battle with testicular cancer.

He said Wednesday his health is fine and he plans to train in Austin before returning to Europe in a few weeks to race for the U.S. Postal Service team.

"I can't think of a time I've ever been more in tune with myself both physically and emotionally," Armstrong said. "As always, my vision is on competing and winning, but I listen to myself differently now."

Armstrong dropped out of the Paris-Nice stage race last week on a cold, windy day. During that race, Armstrong helped clear the way for a teammate to rejoin the lead pack after a flat tire.

"There is not a lot of glory in days like that," said Dan Osipow, director of operations for Montgomery Sports Inc. in San Francisco, which owns and manages the U.S. Postal Service team.

"Some of those days, I'm sure he forgot about. But more than half of cycling is doing teamwork. That may have been a shock to him at that point, but I know he is refocusing."

Osipow said the team isn't upset about Armstrong's decision and eagerly awaits his return.

"Lance is Lance," Osipow said. "Lance knows success and knows victory. ... I know that he is very motivated to return to that level, even after this bump in the road. We knew this comeback was going to take time."

Armstrong, the 1993 world champion and a two-time Tour de France stage winner, quit racing in late 1996 after being diagnosed with testicular cancer. After the disease spread to his brain, doctors gave him a 50 percent chance of survival.

He performed well at the Ruta del Sol stage race in Spain in February, finishing 15th, just a minute behind the leader. He was scheduled to race in several one-day races for the Postal Service team as it prepared for the Tour de France.

Armstrong is getting married in May. On May 22, he returns to cycling in the United States, at a 34-mile track race in Austin. The event will benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer education and research.