United States cyclist Lance Armstrong is on track to make his official comeback to professional road racing in Australia in January, organizers of the Tour Down Under said Sunday.

The 37-year-old announced his retirement after winning the Tour de France a record seven times in 2005 but has said he will try for an eighth triumph in the world's most prestigious road race.

The Tour Down Under, the first stage race outside Europe to be accorded the cherished ProTour status, attracts some of the world's top teams to Adelaide Jan 18-25.

Race director Mike Turtur said he believed Armstrong would have been registered in an International Cycling Union (UCI) anti-doping programme for the requisite six months before competition.

"That was mentioned by the (UCI) president some time ago in a press release when he announced the comeback, so we were in the understanding that everything was in place," he said.

The UCI last week raised doubts over whether Armstrong would be eligible for the Tour Down Under because of the six-month ruling.

UCI president Pat McQuaid was reported to have said: "The rules state that he must be in the anti-doping system within a six-month period. I don't know on what date Armstrong asked to be registered on the program. But the UCI will apply these rules, regardless of the athlete."