He’s been banned from competition for life, but Lance Armstrong will participate in his first cycling event since he confessed to doping in January.
The 41-year-old, who was stripped of his Tour de France wins, will race in The Des Moines Register newspaper's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa in July.
When questioned about his decision to take part in the event, Armstrong told reporters, "I'm well aware my presence is not an easy topic, and so I encourage people if they want to give a high-five, great. If you want to shoot me the bird, that's OK too. I’m a big boy, and so I made the bed, I get to sleep in it."
Asked if the former champ has any other motives for joining the competition, he explained, "To be honest, it's not a statement. It's not an experiment. 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."
Race director T.J. Juskiewicz told the Register, "We are open to anyone that wants to come ride RAGBRAI.”
