Armstrong has won the the Tour de France seven times

American legend Lance Armstrong's new team, RadioShack, has been given permission to race in many of cycling's elite events for the next four years.

The International Cycling Union has confirmed it has granted Team RadioShack a licence to compete in ProTour races for the 2010-13 seasons.

But the team still needs an invitation to race in next year's Tour de France and Giro d'Italia.

The season-long ProTour series will feature 16 races in 2010.

It includes one-day classics such as the Amstel Gold Race in the Netherlands and Belgium's Tour of Flanders, plus stage races including the Dauphine Libere in France and Switzerland's Tour de Romandie.

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Membership of the ProTour will likely give teams an advantage from 2011 in gaining entry to the grand tours and prestigious one-day races such as Milan-San Remo and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

Armstrong, 38, rode for the Kazakh-backed Astana roster when he finished third in the 2009 Tour, his first since retiring following his unprecedented seventh straight win in 2005.

The Texan rider announced during the Tour in July that he was leaving Astana to create his own team, which will be backed by American retailer RadioShack for two years.

For next season, Armstrong, will be able to rely on experienced riders, notably American Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Kloeden of Germany.

Leipheimer, 35, has finished in the top 10 on the Tour four times - including third in 2007. Kloeden, 34, finished second overall in the Tour de France in 2004 and 2006.

Teams must provide proof of secure finances, a sound management structure and stringent anti-doping programme to gain a licence.

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