Lance Armstrong will ride in the Giro d'Italia in May for the first time in his career as part of his comeback from retirement.

The 37-year-old American, a seven-time winner of the Tour de France and former cancer sufferer, quit cycling in 2005 but announced he was returning to the sport last month to raise awareness of the disease. He has signed to Team Astana.

"Not to have taken part in the Giro was one of my greatest regrets as a cyclist," he said. "It will be the Centenary Giro and I know how much that means for Italians.

"Everyone says it will be only to prepare for the Tour [de France], but it could be a case that I go to Italy to win and that the Giro will be my true three-week stage race."

Angelo Zomegnan, the cycling director of RCS Sport, the Giro d'Italia organiser, was not surprised. "No cycling champion had ever considered not taking part in the Giro d'Italia," he said. "Lance is the only one that, having won the Tour de France in its centenary, could achieve the same mark in the Giro d'Italia centenary.

"Lance knows how much affection the Italians have for him dating back to the years he lived in Lake Como.

"We should also mention the Lance Armstrong Foundation, Livestrong, in which Italy and the Giro will represent the ideal territory to highlight the problems regarding the fight against cancer."

Armstrong plans to raise money to fund cancer research.

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