Last Tour de France for Lance Armstrong

Jun 29th, 10. Lance Armstrong has confirmed this will be the last Tour de France he rides.  "And yes, this will be [my] final Tour de France. It's been a great ride. Looking forward to 3 great weeks."

Last Tour de France for Armstrong ©RoadCycling.co.nz

As he's done so many times in the last few years, Armstrong made his announcement not at a media conference, or through a press release, he announced it on Twitter.  

Within minutes his update had been retweeted by hundreds of his 2.5 million followers.

Whether Armstrong has one final Tour win left to give his fans, his 8th, or not, will be discovered over 21 stages once the racing begins this Saturday in Rotterdam, Holland.

"Last hard ride before the TdF. Test on the Col de la Madone. Record time? No. Close to it? Yes. I'm ready," he twittered yesterday.

Responses to his announcement have come quickly. It's not a huge surprise, but it is the end of an era - for the second time, or is that a 3rd time?

"There you go - it's out: Lance will ride his last Tour de France this July, I can promise you it will be one of his best...ever!" Graham Watson, legendary cycling photographer, twittered in response to the news.