Armstrong in Tour of Ireland return

Lance Armstrong pictured arriving at his Dublin hotel

Cycling legend Lance Armstrong has returned to compete in the Tour of Ireland for the first time in 17 years.

Financial circumstances have meant this year's race is reduced to three days, but Armstrong's participation has ensured more interest than ever in the event.

On Tuesday, about 300 people joined Armstrong on an impromptu bike ride in Glasgow after he issued an open invitation on Twitter, and judging by this response, there should be a big turnout across the three stages.

The seven-time Tour de France champion has brought his Astana team to Ireland for the first time.

Sixteen teams are competing over a 576km course, setting off from County Wicklow on Friday and passing the finish line in Cork city on Sunday.

Armstrong, 37, last raced in Ireland in 1992 in his first year as a professional cyclist.

Cancer summit

He was recovering from testicular cancer when the Tour de France set off from Dublin in 1998, a year before he went on his record-breaking seven-year run of wins from 1999 to 2005.

Armstrong returned to racing in January after taking a three-year break, and he will stay in Ireland after the race to attend a three-day global cancer summit organised by his Livestrong Foundation.

Cycling was hugely popular in Ireland in the 1980s thanks to the success of stars such as Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche, and race organiser Alan Rushton said he hoped the star quality of riders like Armstrong, reigning champion Marco Pinotti and Britain's Mark Cavendish would attract new talent to the sport.

"Irish cycling is having a bit of a revival - there are three or four world-class riders on continental teams who are producing results and that does trickle down," he said.

A delegation from Northern Ireland's Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure has travelled to witness the start of the race, and the organisers hope Northern Ireland will be included on the race's route in the future.

Despite a hectic schedule in the last few days - which also included a U2 concert in Glasgow and fundraising in Oslo - last year's Tour of Ireland winner, Marco Pinotti, has warned that Armstrong is not just making up the numbers.

Irish cyclist Paul Healion was killed in a car accident last weekend

"He never races just to train, he's here to show the world," Italian Pinotti said.

"Astana has a very strong team roster here and I'm sure there will be some men to watch.

"It will be more difficult to win this year because the competition is higher and the presence of big stars made a huge impact on the race."

All eyes were on Armstrong at the tour's launch in Powerscourt Hotel in Wicklow but the Texan declined to answer questions.

The three-day event sees 16 teams compete over a challenging 576km course.

Donegal pro-cyclist Philip Deignan, competing with the Cervelo Test Team, said Armstrong's presence would be a massive profile booster for the race, and for Irish cycling.

"Hopefully it will introduce a lot of new kids to the sport in this country, so it's great," said Deignan.

A minute's silence will be held by at the start line in tribute to top Irish amateur cyclist Paul Healion, who was killed on Sunday in a car crash.

The 31-year-old had been due to compete in the event as part of the Irish national team.