I guess Lance Armstrong got bored with bedding actresses and hanging out with Matthew McConaughey. Or maybe he decided that spending time with his kids is overrated. Whatever the reason, the retired cycling champion has announced that he is coming out of retirement and hopes to compete in the 2009 Tour de France. However, his old team says they haven’t been approached by Armstrong, and have no plans to include him. It’s like Bret Favre all over again!

Lance Armstrong will end his retirement and hopes to compete in the 2009 Tour de France, according to a cycling journal report, but Astana cycling team officials denied the comeback would be associated with them.

“He is no part of our team,” Astana team press officer Philippe Maertens told the Associated Press in an e-mail. “Team Astana has no plans with him.”

The cycling journal VeloNews, citing anonymous sources, reported on its website Monday that the 36-year-old seven-time Tour de France champion would compete in the Tour and four other road races with Astana in 2009.

But Astana team director Johan Bruyneel, who was with Armstrong for all seven Tour wins from 1999 to 2005, told cyclingnews.com that he was unaware of any Armstrong comeback. “I don’t know where the rumors come from,” the website quoted him as saying.

Armstrong did not immediately respond to a text message or voice mails left by the Associated Press. Armstrong’s manager, Mark Higgins, and Bruyneel also did not respond to voice mails left by the AP.

[From LA Times]

This morning, CNN reported that Armstrong has offered to have the results of his most recent bloodwork published on the Internet to prove that he is in good health and has not been doping. If that’s not indicative of his return to the sport, I don’t know what is. If his old team doesn’t want him, I’m sure another team will snatch him up. But the bigger question is, why come out of retirement? Is civilian life that unsatisfying? Seems like he has it made to me: a revolving door of women, famous friends, tons of money, and the ability to eat and drink whatever he wants. In the recent interview he did with Men’s Health, Armstrong went on and on about how glad he is to be retired. What changed?

Lance Armstrong is shown below on 7/04/08. He was riding with two friends in Malibu. He is shown in the header after playing tennis with Kate Hudson on 7/8/08. Credit: Fame Pictures