Six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong will retire on July 24, one day after the Tour de France.

At a press conference in Atlanta, Georgia on Monday, 33 year-old Armstrong announced that he would not be continuing for another year, confirming his statements earlier this year that he would only be on his bike for another “four months this year."

"I have decided the Tour De France will be my last race as a professional cyclist...I have thought a lot about it, I have gone back and forth. My time has come but I will definitely have the itch every now and again. My children are my biggest supporters but at the same time they are the ones who told me it’s time to come home."

Apart from spending more time with his family, Armstrong will also put his considerable energy into the campaign to fight against cancer.

Armstrong came back from cancer in 1999 to win the Tour de France an unprecedented six times in a row, and became the major cycling celebrity in the process. His achievements also include winning the World Championships in 1993, Clasica San Sebastian in 1995, Fleche Wallonne in 1996, Tour de Suisse in 2001, Dauphine Libere in 2002 and 2003, and Midi Libre in 2002.