(See also: Lance Armstrong movie director has a full plate, Jan. 26, 2006)
The Race to Replace is the name of an Internet and TV campaign that the Discovery Channel is launching to hype up the question of Lance Armstrong's replacement as leader of the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team.
Who will it be? The team presented 27 cyclists from 15 countries on its roster at a press conference in Beverly Hills on Tuesday; a handful could be counted as candidates.
Probably the leading contender for the American audience is George Hincapie (left), Armstrong's sidekick for all 7 of the Tour de France victories. (He won the Biking Bis poll last summer.) Considered a strong sprinter, Hincapie has focused on other parts of his cycling to support Armstrong through dozens of Tour stages. He scored his first Tour victory last year on the mountainous Pla-d' Adet stage.
Plenty of other names are mentioned. The handicapper at Bicycling magazine names Paolo Savoldelli (right), an Italian who has won the Giro d'Italia twice, including last year with Discovery; Yaroslov Popovych (Ukraine), judged the Best Young Rider at last year's Tour; and Russian Viatcheslav Ekimov, at 38 the oldest guy on the squad and a veteran of 14 Tours.
Pez Cycling likes Hincapie and Popovych, as well as Jose Azevedo (Portugal) and Jose Luis Rubiera (Spain), one of the team's best climbers.
Another popular American cyclist on the team, Tom Danielson, will focus on the Giro d'Italia this year. He won the Tour de Georgia last year.
As part owner of the team, Armstrong emphasized he would be taking an active role through the cycling season — just not on the bicycle. He'll continue to consult with team manager Johan Bruyneel, the strategist behind 7 Tour victories for Armstrong and the team.
Racing begins with the Vuelta Andalucia in Spain in February, followed by the inaugural Amgen Tour of California, which will see Hincapie, Danielson, Ekimov, Savoldelli, Vladimir Gusev, Janez Brajkovic, Jason McCartney, and Michael Barry compete.
Then comes the Euro spring classics, the Giro, and by June the announcement by Armstrong about who is the winner of The Race to Replace.
Let's just hope The Race to Replace doesn't become the contest the cyclists focus on instead of the Giro, the Vuelta, and Le Tour.
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