For the first time since OLN began total live coverage of the Tour de France back in 2002, they will not have the draw of Lance Armstrong.
Will ratings suffer? Will the competition be as strong?
When talking to Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen, the talented OLN Tour de France anchor broadcasters, they could not be more upbeat about the 2006 race.
Jim Williams: Who is the likely American successor to Lance Armstrong?
Phil Liggett: Well, in fact, there are three talented men and anyone of them could be the new American superstar. Let?s start with Floyd Landis. He has exploded with wins in both the Paris-to-Niece race and the Tour of Georgia. Next would be Levi Leipheimer, who has been improving each time he goes out. Then there is GeorgeHincapie. Many think that George could have finished in the top five the past three years, but he has dedicated himself to getting Lance a win.
JW: Who is the favorite to win the Tour?
PS: Lance has had two key rivals. Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso both feel that they have assembled teams worthy of winning a Tour title. But this is the most open competition that we have had in at least five years.
OLN starts their live coverage of the Tour on Saturday at 8:30 a.m.
Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. You can email Jim at [email protected].
