Lance Armstrong's decision to come out of retirement to compete in next year's Tour de France has been met with mixed response from current and former cyclists alike.
Armstrong, who won the last of his seven consecutive Tour titles back in 2005 before quitting the sport, announced on Tuesday he aims to go for number eight in 2009.
While some people have expressed their surprise at the decision, many riders still involved in competition have welcomed the news.
Among them is German rider Jens Voigt, who still competes at the age of 36.
He told German magazine Stern that Armstrong must believe he is capable of achieving his goal and tipped his return to give the sport a boost.
"I am pleased that he is coming back. It will definitely be very interesting. Armstrong will revive the business," he said.
"Cycling will experience a lift through it, of that I am 100 percent certain."
He added: "When I call it a day, I would do so because I could no longer keep up with the best in the world. With Armstrong is it different, it is like an addiction with him.
"He will already have done tests. There he would have seen that he can still step on the power.
"I have huge respect for his decision to give it another go. Like it said: I would not be in the position to do it."
The most recent winner of the Tour de France, Spanish rider Carlos Sastre, also believes Armstrong's return will be positive for a sport in need of some good press following a string of doping scandals.
However, he warned the American's chances of success hinges on which team he returns with.
"It will not depend only on himself, but also on the team he will have," said Sastre.
"If he has decided to return, I think it's a good thing. I assume he has considered the pros and cons and he has decided that it interests him to return to the Tour."
It is not yet known which team Armstrong will join, but Astana is among the favourites with his old Discovery Channel team manager, Johan Bruyneel, in charge.
The 2007 Tour winner Alberto Contador, who moved to Astana last year, would be delighted to have one of cycling's best known figures as his team-mate.
"It's good news for cycling because it will create a lot of interest and at Astana we would be delighted to welcome him with open arms," he said before the 11th stage of the Vuelta a Espana on Wednesday.
"It's news that grabs your attention, but I'm not giving the matter much thought. I'm concentrating on the Vuelta. There's some decisive stages coming up and I want to win the Vuelta to have the three great races on my honours list."
However, not everyone in the sport is convinced by Armstrong's decision.
The oldest cyclist to ever win the Tour de France was 36-year-old Firmin Lambot, who achieved the feat in 1922. The Belgian is the only cyclist over the age of 34 to win the event.
Armstrong turns 37 in just a few days and Spanish rider Alejandro Valverde admits he can not understand why he has returned to the sport.
"As a cyclist I don't understand it," he said. "But everybody is their own person and can do what they want.
"It seems surprising to me, after having left cycling