It's like Michael Jordan popping in for a neighborhood hoops pickup game. Or John Elway showing up for a flag football game.

Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France winner, is tuning up for his return to elite professional competition in an unlikely setting - racing against everyday folks in the mountains around Aspen.

Armstrong, who announced this week he's on the comeback trail, is scheduled to ride Sunday in the inaugural 12 Hours of Snowmass. That follows his victory Wednesday in a 10-mile mountain bike race in Aspen.

"There's a huge buzz going on in Aspen right now," said Sarah Visnic, executive director of the Aspen Youth Center. "We're getting lots of phone calls. People are excited for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to race against Lance and be on the same course."

Armstrong will join a three- man team in the Snowmass race geared toward intermediate riders.

The spectator-friendly event will be held on a 7.0-mile loop around Snowmass Mountain and will start at the base of the ski area, adjacent to the village. Organizers hope to raise $25,000 to $30,000 for the Aspen Youth Center and Extreme Sports Camps charities.

"It couldn't be a better opportunity for an inaugural event," race director Nat Ross said. "People can ride alongside him, walk alongside him."

These are more than joy rides for Armstrong.

While training for last month's Leadville 100, the 36-year-old Texas native decided to mount a comeback that he hopes will take him back to the top of the sport.

He also hopes to focus global attention on his fight against cancer.

For now, Armstrong is happy to race in the Aspen area, where he recently purchased a home.

"I love it here," he told the Glenwood Springs Post Independent. "It's a lot of things. The training is really good, the people are very cool and pretty relaxed. They leave you alone. Everybody is fit and cares about their lifestyle and they're healthy."

On Wednesday, Armstrong pedaled across the finish line first in the Smuggler-Hunter Creek race in 57:10, 14 seconds ahead of the second-place rider.

According to Susan Carollo, head of the Aspen Cycling Club, which sponsored the race, local riders were happy to see Armstrong back in the saddle.

"Everybody was totally psyched; overwhelmed, I think," she said "Everybody kind of wanted to line up at the start with him. So we did something we usually don't do and we started everybody at the same time."