Italian cyclist Alessandro Petacchi, suspended until the end of August for doping, will make his return to competition in the Tour of Brtiain from September 7-14, according to reports here on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old has been listed among the riders competing in the race for the newly-formed LPR-Ballan team.

He will be competing along with compatriot and former Tour of Italy winner Danilo Di Luca.

Petacchi was sacked by the Milram team in May after he was banned for a year after testing positive for salbutamol during the 2007 Tour of Italy.

The Italian is one of the greatest sprinters of all time having won 24 Giro stages, including an incredible nine in 2004 alone. He has also enjoyed more than 150 wins during his illustrious career.