UNDATED -- Lance Armstrong is skipping the Athens Olympics, saying he needs to spend more time with his children.

Armstrong is bidding for a record sixth straight Tour de France title, but had planned to ride for the United States next month at the Summer Games.

"I've thought a lot about this and the answer is, I shouldn't even say 'probably not,' I should say 'no,"' Armstrong said Thursday when asked about his plans following the Tour de France on July 25.

Armstrong was 13th in the road race at the 2000 Sydney Games and won a bronze medal in the time trial -- his first medal in three Olympics.

The Texan said he spent two months away from his children in the spring and another three months apart before the Tour de France, cycling's three-week showcase.

"It's really hard to do, and so I want to go home," he said. "I've done the Olympics many times, and if I don't have 100 percent motivation for something that's an important event, a very important event, then I don't want to take somebody else's spot."

Armstrong has three children: Luke and twins Isabelle and Grace, with his former wife, Kristin.

"When this race is done, I'm going home and I have to be with my children," Armstrong said.

He said the Olympics, which start Aug. 13, come "at an awkward time."

"I thought Sydney was at a terrible time," he said. "Now, I would kill for the time frame of Sydney -- to have it in late September."

Linda Armstrong, the cyclist's mother, said her son hasn't seen his three children since about May 1. The children are living in Austin, Texas, with Kristin.

"I know that he has missed his children terribly," Linda Armstrong told The Associated Press by phone from Dallas. "That's what makes me so proud of my son. His family means more to him than his life. It's the sacrifice of his job, and it's just too long to be away from them. I know it's taken quite a toll on him."

USA Cycling chief of staff Sean Petty said national officials have not formally heard about Armstrong's plans to give up his spot on the five-man road team for Athens.

"If this really is the case, we're disappointed," Petty said. "Lance is medal-capable every time he steps to the line. That removes a potential medal opportunity for us, but we certainly respect and understand Lance's decision."