ROME — Lance Armstrong agreed to ride in next year's Giro d'Italia, giving him a crucial test before his attempt to win an eighth Tour de France title.

Armstrong announced last month that he is making a comeback after three years in retirement.

The American has never competed in the three-week Giro, considered the sport's most prestigious stage race after the Tour de France. The 2009 Giro will mark the 100th anniversary of the race.

"I'm so excited to be coming to the 2009 Giro. I raced a long time professionally and never did the Giro," Armstrong said in a video message released by race organizers Monday. "It was one of my biggest regrets and now I'm going to be able to erase that regret and be at the 2009 Giro. And who knows, maybe with a good result."

The Giro is scheduled for May 9-31. The Tour de France starts July 4.

"Everyone is saying that the Giro will serve to prepare for the Tour," Armstrong said in a written statement released by organizers in Italian. "Actually, it could be that I come to Italy to win and the Giro will actually be my real three-week stage race of the year."

The last rider to win both the Giro and the Tour in the same year was Marco Pantani in 1998. Pantani died of a cocaine overdose in 2004.

By competing in the Giro, Armstrong will have raced in all three major multistage races. He finished fourth in the 1998 Spanish Vuelta.

"Maybe his career was incomplete," Giro director Angelo Zomegnan told The Associated Press. "I think he's coming to race and be a top contender. And the differences between being a top contender and winning include small and large details. We'll see how it plays out in May."

Armstrong's comeback is meant to draw attention to his global campaign to fight cancer, a disease he survived before winning seven straight Tours from 1999-2005.

Armstrong will begin his comeback at the Tour Down Under in Adelaide, Australia, in January, then will likely enter the Tour of California in February.

Armstrong is loading his schedule to get more racing days in before the Tour. In his heyday, Armstrong usually only entered a handful of short races before the Tour.

Armstrong has joined the Astana team, which also features Alberto Contador, the defending Giro champion.

Zomegnan said Contador was unlikely to ride the Giro.

"But the invitations are made to teams," he said. "It's up to the teams to decide who to enter."

Armstrong could revive his rivalry with Ivan Basso, whose two-year ban for doping expires later this month. Basso finished third and second behind Armstrong in the 2004 and 2005 Tours, respectively.

Zomegnan traveled to Austin, Texas, two weeks ago to extend an invitation to Armstrong. He has known the American for 20 years, since he was a journalist who covered cycling for the Gazzetta dello Sport.

Armstrong also had a house in northern Italy during the beginning of his career and Zomegnan first got to know him then.

"Italy is the country that took me in when I was a kid and I know I have many fans there," Armstrong said in his statement.

One prominent former Italian cyclist, Francesco Moser, wasn't so enthusiastic about Armstrong's decision.

"Until I see Armstrong at the start of the 2009 Giro I won't believe it. It doesn't seem like a very wise choice," said the 1984 Giro winner and 1977 world champion. "At 37, after three years of inactivity it seems pretty risky. Plus, racing also the Tour in the same year isn't simple."

Giuseppe Saronni, who won the Giro in 1979 and 1983, was more welcoming.

"I've always liked Armstrong. His return will raise interest and motivation for everyone," said Saronni, now the team manager of the Lampre team, one of Italy's biggest.