"He absolutely wants to be part of the training camp in December and wants to get fit to compete with the guys there,'' Bruyneel said, adding that Armstrong can decide to return as late as February.

When Armstrong retired in July after his seventh straight Tour win, Bruyneel had to decide whether to recruit a new team leader. He opted not to do so, suggesting the door may have been kept open for the Texan.

"We didn't really look for somebody to replace him,'' Bruyneel said. "For one there is nobody, not a strong leader like he was. Without him we have a very good team ... but not the favorites.''

The Amaury Sport Organization, which organizes the Tour, would not comment on the speculation.

"We will express ourselves only if and when he decides to come out of retirement,'' spokesman Christophe Marchadier said. "There is nothing to stop him coming back on the Tour as a professional cyclist.''

Armstrong, who turns 34 later this month, won this year's Tour by a comfortable margin — 4 minutes, 40 seconds ahead of Italian Ivan Basso and 6:21 ahead of Jan Ullrich of Germany.

"I'm sure he could win (another Tour),'' Bruyneel said. "The way he won this year ... everything pretty much under control and he never showed any weakness. He has another Tour in his legs yet.''

Armstrong, who announced his engagement Monday to rock singer Sheryl Crow, issued a statement Tuesday confirming that he's considering a comeback in part to rankle French media.