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Saturday, March 21, 1998

Armstrong weary of life on road

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Cyclist Lance Armstrong, who fought a year-long battle with testicular cancer, doesn't like competing overseas anymore.

That's why he left the European cycling tour last week and returned home to Austin. He thinks he will return to Europe in mid-April, but has not decided where he will race next.

"It was the grind off the bike," Armstrong told the Austin American-Statesman for a story published Friday.

"I was living out of a suitcase, eating bad food and staying at bad hotels and working in bad conditions. In the past, I dealt with it because it was part of the job. I don't think I'm willing to live that kind of lifestyle anymore."

Last week, the former world champion and two-time Olympian quit the week-long Paris-Nice race in France before the end of the second day of competition.

Armstrong's departure fueled speculation that he might be retiring. He said he has no plans to quit, but he has decided to cut his racinbg days from 100 a year to about 40.

"I think I'm going to have to be more selective," Armstrong said.

"I've been through too much. I've learned too much to sacrifice my happiness. Racing over there doesn't do for me what it once did. It's just the lifestyle. Let's say that being in Europe is a lot different than living in Austin."

Armstrong's return to U.S. racing is set for May 22, in the Sprint 56K Criterium in Austin.

His April stay in Europe would be brief, because he plans to be married to Kristin Richard on May 8 in Santa Barbara, Calif.

His cancer remains in remission. He underwent a battery of tests six weeks ago that showed his body remains free of the cancer, which had spread to his abdomen, lungs and brain before being diagnosed in October 1996.