US race good training for Armstrong

Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong is regaining the form he showed before breaking his collarbone last month in a crash in Spain, Astana team manager Johan Bruyneel said this week.

Bruyneel, in the United States to watch Armstrong and Astana team-mates Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner compete as independents in the five-day Tour of the Gila, said the Texan legend won't be a contender when the Giro d'Italia starts on May 9, "but he can improve."

"No more crashes and just time," Bruyneel said of what Armstrong needs to get back into shape.

"This week will be very good training to get the intensity that he's lacking. He needs to get some speed for the start of the Giro."

Armstrong, 37, required surgery after breaking his right collarbone in a fall in the Tour of Castilla y Leon in Spain on March 23.

The Texan had a stainless steel plate and 12 screws inserted to stabilise the bone.

He has since put in a couple of weeks of training in Aspen, Colorado, before tackling the Tour of the Gila.

"It's a good continuation because we'll have a whole month at elevation before the Tour of Italy," Armstrong said of the Gila route.

"It works well."

Along with tackling another challenging day's racing, Armstrong was pulled into doping control after Thursday's second stage.

"Been a while. Thought they forgot about me," the oft-tested cyclist reported on his Twitter feed.

Armstrong himself hedged his bets when asked about his own expectations for the Giro, tipping Italian Ivan Basso as the favourite with Leipheimer in with a chance.

"He's had a great year," Armstrong said of Leipheimer.

"He's riding well and he's motivated. He doesn't race like the Italians do, but he's close. My responsibility will be to ride strong and to help him."