Lance Armstrong is getting back on his bike, determined to win an eighth Tour de France. He is coming out of retirement in 2009 to raise awareness about cancer, the seven-times Tour de France winner said on Tuesday.

Armstrong's return from cancer to win the Tour a record seven consecutive times made him a hero to cancer patients worldwide and elevated cycling to an unprecedented level in America.

Armstrong, 36, told Vanity Fair in an exclusive interview posted on its Web site Tuesday that he was inspired to return after finishing second last month in the Leadville 100, a lung-searing 100-mile mountain-bike race through the Rocky Mountains.

"This kind of obscure bike race totally kick-started my engine," he told the magazine. "I'm going to try and win an eighth Tour de France."

Armstrong's comeback trail might bring him through the Bay Area.

The cycling journal VeloNews reported on its Web site that Armstrong will compete with the Astana team in the Tour de France and four other road races, including the Amgen Tour of California, which winds through the Bay Area in February. The other road races would be Paris-Nice, the Tour de Georgia and the Dauphine-Libere.

In a video statement on his foundation's Web site, Armstrong said details — such as a team and schedule — will be announced Sept. 24 at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City.

"I am happy to announce that after talking with my children, my family and my closest friends, I have decided to return to professional cycling in order to raise awareness of the global cancer burden," Armstrong said in a statement released to the Associated Press. "This year alone, nearly 8 million people will die of cancer worldwide. ... It's now time to address cancer on a global level."

A survivor of testicular cancer, Armstrong will race in the Tour de France, the Amgen Tour of California, the Paris-Nice, the Tour de Georgia and the Dauphine-Libere, cycling journal Velonews reported, citing anonymous sources.

Armstrong did not reveal his plans and said he would unveil them on September 24 in New York City.