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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 11:14 a.m., Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Cycling: Armstrong, girlfriend expecting baby in June

AUSTIN, Texas — Lance Armstrong may be busy baby-sitting between two major races next year.

Armstrong, who won the Tour de France seven consecutive years after overcoming testicular cancer, and his girlfriend, Anna Hansen, are expecting a baby in June.

He is scheduled to compete in the Giro d'Italia, which runs from May 9-31 and the Tour de France, which begins July 4.

"Anna and I are thrilled to confirm that we are expecting in June and our families are ecstatic and grateful," Armstrong said in a statement released Tuesday night. "We are very much looking forward to what 2009 brings on many fronts. We appreciate respecting our privacy, as we are both eager to celebrate the holidays as a family."

Rae Bazzarre, a spokeswoman for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, said in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Wednesday that the baby was conceived naturally.

Armstrong, who has a home in Aspen, Colo., had three children with his ex-wife, Kristin, using in vitro fertilization with sperm he had banked before undergoing chemotherapy.

Three years after retiring following his last Tour de France win, Armstrong announced in September his return to competition and the Tour de France in 2009. He called his comeback an attempt to raise global awareness in his fight against cancer.