Armstrong says collarbone good; glad to race again

SILVER CITY, N.M. (AP) " Lance Armstrong is ready to race again.

The seven-time Tour de France champion said Wednesday that his collarbone feels fine and he's ready to begin the first stage of the five-day Tour of the Gila in southwestern New Mexico, his first competition since crashing during a race in Spain last month.

"I'm excited to be here," Armstrong said. "It's good to be back racing and getting ready for the rest of the season."

Armstrong is riding with Astana teammates Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner as independents, wearing jerseys representing Armstrong's Mellow Johnny's bike shop in Austin, Texas.

He said there's no discomfort from his collarbone even on rough roads. Although he expects "a natural sense of nervousness" and will try to protect the injury, he added, "There's so much hardware in there, it's not going to move."

Armstrong has been out of competition since breaking his collarbone during the Vuelta of Castilla and Leon on March 23. He had surgery two days later to stabilize it with a steel plate and 12 screws.

Armstrong plans to use the Gila to prepare for the Giro d'Italia, which begins May 9. His ultimate goal is this summer's Tour de France.

"We'll see how it goes here, we'll see how it goes in Italy," Armstrong said. "Then the month of June in the states, training and preparing for the tour. That's the granddaddy of them all. We'll go there and ride as fast as we can."

The first stage of the Gila, which runs through Sunday, is a 94-mile ride from Silver City to Mogollon that includes a steep climb at the finish.

Armstrong described the race, now in its 23rd year, as "an old classic race for America" and said it's important that it continue.

Asked about his expectations for the Gila, he responded: "No grand ambitions here. I've got energy in the legs, I've felt encouraged by the training and the power I've been able to put out. I feel fit enough not to be in the back."