Lance Armstrong is getting a warm reception from the Italian cycling community for his decision to enter the Giro d'Italia.
Perhaps nobody in Italy has a closer bond with Armstrong than Ivan Basso. He still recalls how the Austin cycling great took time away from the pursuit of his 2004 Tour de France victory to help Basso's mother fight cancer.
Basso finished third behind the seven-time Tour de France winner at the 2004 Tour and is now returning from a two-year doping ban.
Armstrong is coming back to cycling in 2009 after three years of retirement and has entered the Giro for the first time.
Despite his seven straight Tour victories, Armstrong remains a controversial figure in France, where he has faced unproven doping allegations.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
