RIDING WITHOUT LANCE U.S. CYCLISTS TO PUSH PEDALS FOR THE MEDALS.

Byline: Heather Gripp Staff Writer

Kristin Armstrong frequently hears the same question. Whether she is racing in the United States or abroad, people always want to know if she is the former wife of cycling great Lance Armstrong, whose ex-wife has the same name.

``Everywhere I go, people ask that,'' said Kristin Armstrong, who has never met Lance Armstrong but has something more than a last name in common with him.

Like Lance, she is a world-class cyclist.

She hoped they could both be Olympic medalists this summer. Lance's decision in early July to withdraw from the Olympics to spend time with his children left Kristin as the lone Armstrong on the U.S. Olympic cycling team. But the Americans' cycling outlook in Athens should remain bright.

On the women's side, Armstrong looks to be known as more than ``the other Armstrong'' as she highlights a group of road racers that lacks Olympic experience but has ample talent. Armstrong is an Idaho resident who won the 2004 national championship just three years after turning to cycling as an alternative to triathlons.

She is joined on the squad by Dede Berry and Christine Thorburn. Berry fell short of qualifying for the 2000 Olympics but now is the top American in the international standings at No. 15. Thorburn is in her second year on the national team and was a surprise winner at the USCF Elite National Time Trials in June.

Even without six-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, whose best individual finish in three Olympics was bronze in 2000, the U.S. men's road racing team should be a medal contender in a field that features strong teams from Spain, Germany and Britain.

Tyler Hamilton, who would have formed a strong one-two punch with Armstrong, instead moves up to the top of the American bill. He finished fourth in the 2003 Tour de France despite suffering a broken collarbone in the first stage. He pulled out of this year's Tour after injuring his back in a crash.

Teammate George Hincapie is in the Olympics for the fourth time. Bobby Julich also has fared well in international competition.

Levi Leipheimer was named as Armstrong's replacement, making him the fourth member of the U.S. team who competed in the Tour de France before heading to Athens.

The U.S. received only two berths for women's track cycling - Erin Mirabella and Jennie Reed - but boasts five representatives on the the men's side, led by three-time Olympian Marty Nothstein, who won gold in the match sprint in 2000.

Heather Gripp, [phone]

heather.gripp(at)dailynews.com

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