ADELAIDE, Australia - Lance Armstrong made a cautious return to professional cycling Sunday, finishing well back in a 51-kilometre criterium in downtown Adelaide, Australia.
More than 138,000 people turned out to see Armstrong return from three years in retirement and begin a campaign to win his eighth Tour de France.
He stayed well back in a 133-strong, tightly packed field throughout the race, following team instructions to avoid any possibility of crashing ahead of the Tour Down Under starting Tuesday.
"That was fun," Armstrong said. "It felt good. I've been training a lot for this comeback and this race. It's good the first day is over and now I can get into the racing."
