AIGLE, Switzerland — Lance Armstrong's new team has been given permission to race in many of cycling's top events for the next four years.

The International Cycling Union said on Friday that it has granted Team RadioShack a license to compete in ProTour races for the 2010-13 seasons. The team still needs an invitation to race in next year's Tour de France and Giro d'Italia.

The season-long ProTour series includes one-day classics such as the Amstel Gold Race in the Netherlands and Belgium's Tour of Flanders, plus stage races such as the Dauphine Libere in France and Switzerland's Tour de Romandie.

Armstrong rode for the Kazakh-backed Astana roster when he finished third in this year's Tour. He announced afterward that he was leaving to create his own team.