LANCE-LESS FRANCE OK FOR OLN.

Byline: TOM HOFFARTH MEDIA

It's easy to see how the marketing folks at OLN can feel as if they've been caught in a vicious cycle.

Unable to recycle the storyline of how the almighty Lance Armstrong will pedal his way to another historic Tour de France title, the up-and-coming network is forced to backpedal, having to sell an American TV audience on (gulp) the race itself.

Having ridden so long on the handlebars of one man and his Hollywood- script journey, you'd think that OLN would have to think so far outside the bike that it'd even consider editing in the opening dream sequence of ``Pee-wee's Big Adventure'' when its daily travelogue coverage begins Saturday with a preview (5:30 a.m.) followed by the live Strasbourg time trial (8:30 a.m.) that is repeated throughout the day, through the 20-stage finish on July 23.

No so. Expect the same commitment to time and financial investment as in the past, when this event didn't have to compete with the NHL as the star attraction on the channel's schedule of eclectic events.

``We must expect a drop (in viewership) but nothing like everyone has feared even last year,'' said OLN expert commentator Phil Liggett, broadcasting his 21st race and involved in its coverage every year since 1973. ``One of Lance's legacies is introducing a huge public to the live sport. Taxi drivers are asking me now, `Who's going to win once he's gone?'

``They're not going to not tune in because he's not there. His was a fairy-tale story, and this will be a different story that we'll have to tell ... Maybe there will be more curiosity since Lance has left. It's a tougher bike race and those who helped Lance along in the past won't be riding that kind of race anymore.''

Adds Paul Sherwen, a seven-time Tour competitor and another key British-speaking OLN analyst: ``It still seems like there's interest because in the last few years, the question was, `Will Lance win again?' Now it's, `Who's going to win?'''

Armstrong, who retired after his seventh win in a row in 2005, wasn't asked to be a full-time commentator for this year's OLN coverage, which takes its feeds from the French host broadcasters and inserts its own cameras. (For what it's worth, the French-language TV5MONDE will have its own coverage, available on several L.A. cable systems and the Dish Network).

Armstrong's presence will be pre-taped segments called ``Lance On,'' where he describes particular Tour stages as they come up and reflects on his experiences on them. OLN spokeswoman Amy Phillips said Armstrong could appear as a live guest analyst because ``if he's there and wants to come in studio, I'm sure we'll have him.''

All the blood doping issues that continue to surface, or any more bad- blood stories between Greg LeMond and Armstrong, will be covered in studio shows. OLN could also create its own news, since the network will keep former Armstrong teammate Frankie Andreu as a course reporter.

Testimony given 10 years ago by Andreu and his wife, Betsy, about Armstrong admitting to using EPO, growth hormones and steroids surfaced last week in the French newspaper Le Monde and sparked the latest litany of rebuttals by the former champion.

Liggett points out that for the American TV audience, the fact that three of its countrymen -- including Floyd Landis, who won the recent inaugural Amgen Tour of California that ventured through Thousand Oaks -- are favorites to finish in the top six should be enough of an intriguing angle. Changes in the course also add suspense that Liggett says has organizers claiming this could be the closest finish since LeMond won in 1989 by a record eight seconds.

``Some people say to me, `You must be fed up seeing the same event year after year,' '' said Liggett, whose daily reports with Sherwen and Bob Roll will also be a delightful part of the OLN Website coverage (www.olntv.com/tdf/). ``But I've never seen the same event.''

NBC lucks into key match

Second-round victories on Thursday by soon-to-retire Andre Agassi and second-seeded Rafael Nadal guarantee the two tennis giants will meet up on NBC for the network's first of nine straight days of coverage from Wimbledon (Saturday on Ch. 4 at 9a.m., delayed).

``If Agassi is up to it physically, he has the tools, comfort level and type of game to do well on this surface even though he's not a big server or volleyer,'' said NBC analyst John McEnroe before knowing if this third-round matchup would take place.

``He could trouble Nadal. I think it would be a boost for tennis to have one of the all-time greats up against an up and coming superstar. That's the type of match we need.''

Although a Maria Sharapova or Venus Williams may demand equal TV time (if not equal pay for winning), expect much of the network's focus to be on the intriguing mix of the alpha males like Roger Federer, Nadal and, perhaps, Andy Roddick and James Blake, during this event, which it is covering for the 38th consecutive year with Ted Robinson on the calls teamed with McEnroe and Mary Carillo.

``It used to be that the men's side was more wide open and we had (dominance on) the women's side with the Williams sisters,'' said Carillo. ``Now it's the polar opposite. More women have an open shot at winning it this year.''

NBC has also assisted Wimbledon in launching a new subscription service for live coverage via the Internet (www.wimbledon.org/live), where anyone on a computer can watch matches from up to nine courts at a time. A single-day pass runs $4.95, with a $19.95 charge for the complete access. Thursday, however, a note on the site read: ``We are experiencing technical difficulties associated with downloading files in the United States.''

--Tom Hoffarth

CAPTION(S):

photo, 2 boxes

Photo:

Floyd Landis is a favorite in the Tour de France, which OLN starts covering Saturday.

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Box:

(1) WHAT SMOKES

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