South Africa’s Robbie Hunter and veteran Australian sprinter Robbie McEwen have signed to race for seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong’s RadioShack team in 2011, it was revealed on Thursday.

Both men were part of the Pegasus Sports project which failed to get a ProTour licence for the new season and they opted to change teams.

Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, 39, will ride his last professional cycling race outside the United States in January’s Tour Down Under in South Australia state.

This is the same race that Lance chose in 2009 to make his comeback to cycling after a two-year retirement and debuted his own professional team, Team Radioshack.

A Chinese rider on Lance Armstrong’s Team RadioShack has been confirmed as testing positive for banned substances, an official newspaper reported on Sunday.

Li Fuyu’s B sample came back positive for Clenbuterol, an anabolic agent that can be used to reduce body fat, China Daily reported, citing Zhang Bin, secretary-general of the Chinese Cycling Association.

Well that’s the million dollar question that’s on everyone’s lips. What does it take to win the Tour de France? Does he have what it takes?

So what does Lance have on his side:

• The perfect mix of speed, youth and experience in his Radioshack team.
• The best team director in the business in Johan Bruyneel.
• A well funded campaign.
• The best technology, coaching and nutrition in the business.
• The experience of winning the race 7 times.
• 1 full year of good training since last years comeback Tour de France.

Even with all of these things in his tour quiver, that one elusive component – “Luck” is what could set this years winner apart from the rest.

Here are some of Lance Armstrong’s thoughts about the upcoming Tour de France.

Jimmy Engoulvent (Saur-Sojasun), won Wednesday’s Tour of Luxembourg prologue, repeating his win in the same even in 2007.

Engoulvent, 30, came in nine seconds ahead of teammate and compatriot Cyril Lemoine, while RadioShack’s Gregory Rast was third, also nine seconds off the pace. Lance Armstrong finished 5th, ten seconds adrift with South African Daryl Impey in 6th one second further back.

Thursday was a bad day for Lance Armstrong. Before starting stage 5 of the Tour of California he had to field questions by reporters regarding the allegations made against him by Floyd Landis and then later that day he abandoned the Amgen Tour of California with bad injuries after a mass pileup.

The head of Lance Armstrong’s RadioShack team talks to www.bicycling.com about the champ’s condition, Alberto Contador, why American rivalries cost George Hincapie the yellow jersey last year–and his new clothing line.

By Bill Strickland