March 17--It might have seemed like a good idea at first, Lance Armstrong agreeing to ride part of the Tour de France route to raise money for cancer research.
But the head of the international cycling federation has now implored Armstrong to stay away, labeling the plan "completely disrespectful."
"Just the very fact he's going to be there for some or all of it is going to detract and distract from the Tour de France itself, and the current riders ... and from current efforts to get over the problems that Lance and his colleagues caused in that era," UCI President Brian Cookson told the Associated Press on Tuesday.
Three years have passed since Armstrong acknowledged using performance-enhancing drugs for much of his racing career. Officials stripped him of his record seven Tour titles and banned him from the sport for life.
With the 2015 Tour not far off, former English soccer player Geoff Thomas reportedly asked Armstrong to take part in the charity ride, which is scheduled to occur one day ahead of the peloton.
As a cancer survivor, Armstrong had a long history of aiding the fight against disease through his Livestrong Foundation.
