ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) - Thousands more recreational cyclists will ride on the coattails of Lance Armstrong’s appearance in the Tour Down Under later this month.

Government officials said Monday that more than 6,300 recreational cyclists have nominated to ride a stage of the tour this year, up from 3,400 last year.

It follows a decision by seven-time Tour de France winner Armstrong to make his return to competitive racing in Adelaide and South Australia state from Jan. 18 to 25.

Three years after retiring following his last Tour de France win, the 37-year-old Armstrong announced in September his return to competition and the Tour de France in 2009.

He called his comeback an attempt to raise global awareness in his fight against cancer. Diagnosed in 1996 with testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain, doctors gave Armstrong less than a 50 percent chance of survival, but surgery and chemotherapy saved his life.