Published December 29, 2010 11:07PM
Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong won’t compete in a New Zealand triathlon next month because of a sore left knee.
His entry into the Eves Blue Lake Multisport Festival caused the sprint-distance event to sell out and drew top professional names like Bevan Docherty, Bryan Rhodes and Kieran Doe.
Armstrong tweeted the news of his withdrawal through his @JuanPelota twitter account: “Unfortunately can’t make the tri in Rotorua. Dealing (again) with some knee issues and unable to run for now.”
The news also broke in a press release. The release says Armstrong has left knee has cartilage damage and eventually will require surgery. Armstrong will still compete as scheduled in the Tour Down Under cycling race in Australia that runs Jan. 16-23.