Lance Armstrong is getting back on the saddle, er — seat.
Earlier this week, Armstrong announced his plans to return to the world of cycling in a state-long trek across Iowa. It will be Armstrong’s first race since he went on The Oprah Winfrey Show and told the world he had doped his way to seven consecutive Tour de France wins.
The disgraced cyclist will make his fifth visit to the The Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa on July 20, marking his first major public appearance since apologizing for cheating earlier in the year, according to the Des Moines Register.
Armstrong’s mea culpa resulted in a lawsuit from the U.S. Postal Service, one from the Department of Justice and a lifetime ban from Olympic sports.
The cyclist is already battling naysayers who think he may just be trying to make a statement by participating in the public event.
“To be honest it’s not a statement, it’s not an experiment,” Armstrong said. “It’s just me wanting to go ride my bike with what, in the past, has been a friendly group of people that share the same interests.”
