Cycling: Tour de Lance begins again

LANCE ARMSTRONG was today set to start finding out whether his gamble to return to the Tour de France is a credible one.

The seven-times champion was tackling a tough 15.5 kilometre time trial in Monaco.

"In 2005, on such a course, I would have destroyed the race and made huge gaps," said Armstrong, who returned to racing in January after more than three years in retirement. "It's a good course for me, hard and technical. I've lived here. I know the roads like the back of my hand. But it's no longer 2005."

Former prologue winner Bradley McGee forecast a fight between 2007 Tour champion Alberto Contador and Olympic time trial gold medallist Fabian Cancellara. He said: "The outcome will depend on how Contador handles the descent and how Cancellara handles the climb," he said.