No sooner had the Texan crossed the line to win an unprecedented sixth Tour de France in Paris on Sunday than talk turned in earnest to whether he would be back next year.

Armstrong has tried to keep his answers ambivalent and he has hinted he would like instead to compete in the Giro d'Italia, a race he has never competed in, or the Vuelta a Espana, which last saw the American in 1998 when he finished fourth.

"I haven't made a schedule for 2005," he told USA Today.

"I've said that I'd like to do the Giro d'Italia before I stop, and I stand by that because it's a beautiful race.

"There are a lot of things I'd like to do, but I'm 33 (in September) and time's running out, so I may have to say 'whoops, I didn't do it'. But we'll see."

Armstrong says he will not make a definite decision until December but he added: "If I do come back, I would have to be in perfect condition.

"It's too hard a race. I'd only come back to win, and it takes full-year commitment. Not just by me, by everybody. That's our secret."

The talk about the other two 'Grand Tours', the spring classics and the World Cup, seems to have been prompted by comparisons between the US Postal rider and other cycling greats.

Armstrong, as steeped in cycling history and culture as any Italian or Frenchman, is well aware that, while he has won more Tours than anyone else, his overall record compares unfavourably with the likes of Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault.

Merckx, for example, won five Tours but he also won five Giros, a Vuelta, three World Championships and numerous one-day races.

However, the greatest influence on his decision is likely to be the sponsorship deal signed with Discovery Communications earlier this year.

The agreement, reportedly worth 30million US dollars over three years, will see the team carry the broadcaster's name rather than the US Postal Service and Armstrong feature in programming across the Discovery network.

When the deal was announced in June, Discovery were certainly under the impression that Armstrong would be sweating his way across France watched by a worldwide audience of many millions again next year.

And it is hard to see them being satisfied with Armstrong competing in the Milan-San Remo, with cycling only enjoying the profile it does in the States thanks to the Texan's success in the Tour.

The life of his team - whatever the name - is of special significance to Armstrong, who is a co-owner.

He has not taken his full market value in salary in return for building the financial strength of the team and, as a result, he has an interest in seeing the Discovery agreement prosper after he has retired.

The situation is further complicated by the creation of the Pro Tour by the UCI, which is an attempt to bind the three Grand Tours, the spring classics and the World Cup races together.

As franchisees of the Pro Tour, Armstrong's team will be expected to compete in all of them when, in the past, they have focused wholly on the Tour de France, treating the rest of the cycling calendar as a sideshow.