Armstrong to become Ironman

Armstrong has confirmed widely-held speculation that he will eventually compete in an Ironman triathlon.

As a teenager, the record seven-time Tour de France champion was atop-class triathlete over shorter courses in the late 1980s.

But he eventually switched to road cycling, where he has become one of the sport's greatest competitors.

"Whenever I'm done with this (comeback). I can unequivocally say yes to that," Armstrong has told the American magazine Outside aboutentering an Ironman.

"That's a fact and I get asked that question every day. "I don't knowwhen it was, less than a year ago, that I got some of these IronmanDVDs - I said 'let's see what that's all about'.

Typical of Armstrong, he also wants to be competitive when he attempts the gruelling Ironman distance.

An Ironman consists of a 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42.2km marathon run.

The winner finishes in around eight hours and the cut-off time for the late finishers is between 15-17 hours.

"I'm definitely motivated to do an Ironman," he said."We'll go back andI'll be close to 40, but I've swam more in the last three years thanbefore that.

"And I don't want to just do an Ironman, I don't want to approach itlike I approached the marathons, I want to do it as fast as I can."

In the three years since he retired from professional cycling,Armstrong competed in several marathons, posting a string of impressivesub-three hour finishes.

Armstrong also based himself on the Big Island of Hawaii for apost-Christmas training camp before flying to Adelaide last Sunday tolaunch his cycling comeback at the Tour Down Under.

While in Hawaii, he trained on the Queen K highway, the desolatestretch of road that is a key feature of triathlon's most famous race,the Hawaiian Ironman.