No Lance, but Tour de France show must go on

STRASBOURG, France . The Tour de France began Saturday, still reeling from a blood-doping scandal that removed co-favorites Jan Ullrich of Germany and Ivan Basso of Italy from the field on Friday.

Even as the 2,300-mile race started with a short prologue through the cobbled streets of this city, there was little that could be said with certainty about the 93rd edition of the most prestigious cycling race in the world.

Nine riders expected to take part in the prologue, a 4.4-mile jaunt, were absent because of allegations that followed an extension investigation by Spanish police. Now the only sure thing is that the Tour will not end as it has the last seven years, with Lance Armstrong standing triumphant on the Champs-Elysees.

Even considering the unfortunate circumstances, the locals are happy about that change. They can even dream that a Frenchman will finally win the race, for the first time since Bernard Hinault in 1985. With the two top contenders out, perhaps Thomas Voeckler of Bouygues Telecom can be the man.

But _ "sacre bleu! _ after the long counterclockwise tour of France, the July 23 conclusion in Paris could once again find an American on the top step of the podium.

It would no longer really take an upset for that to happen. Ullrich of T-Mobile and Basso of CSC were the best in this race. Another contender, Francisco Mancebo of Ag2r also was named in the investigation and was withdrawn, and Alexander Vinokourov of Astana-Wurth was out because five of his teammates were ensnared by the scandal, leaving the team short of the required number of riders. Teams had agreed not to replace withdrawn riders.

Now the way is open for an unexpected winner, and it might be one of three American team leaders in the Tour, with the best of them being Lancaster County, Pa., native Floyd Landis.

"From the beginning, I've set this as a goal, and I have as good a chance as anyone if I don't have bad luck," said the 30-year-old Landis, who finished ninth last year in his first season as leader of the Phonak team. "Anything can happen, and that's what is going to make it a great race."

In the absence of Armstrong, whose Postal Service and Discovery teams often dictated the tactics of the race, no one knows what team will take charge this time around.

It could be Discovery again, with Armstrong's longtime lieutenant, George Hincapie, originally from Queens, N.Y., riding in the lead. Hincapie finished a close second in Saturday's prologue, less than a second behind sprinting specialist Thor Hushovd of Credit Agricole.

Or the new team in front could be Gerolsteiner, riding for Levi Leipheimer, from Butte, Mont., who was sixth in 2005. But in this Tour, shaken badly by the big-name withdrawals, no one knows.

"We'll see some new names and some new jerseys at the front," said Bobby Julich, the American veteran on team CSC who would have ridden for Basso, but switches gears and will support Carlos Sastre.

In all, there are eight U.S. riders in the Tour, not a record, but a good indication that the American presence here extends well beyond Armstrong.

"We've got as many American riders on our (nine-man) Tour team as Discovery has on its whole (27-man) roster," Julich said.

CSC has Julich, who is from Reno, Nev., but lived for a short time in Philadelphia, along with Christian Vande Velde, from suburban Chicago, and time-trial specialist Dave Zabriskie, from Salt Lake City. On the Davitamon-Lotto team, there is Fred Rodriguez, of Emeryville, Calif., and Chris Horner, of San Diego, riding in support of leader Cadel Evans.

The competitive attention, however, will center on Landis, Leipheimer and Hincapie _ with Landis probably the best bet to succeed Armstrong as the next American champion.

"I don't feel any pressure from the outside," said Landis, who was strong in the prologue. He was just nine seconds behind the leader after starting eight seconds late due to a needed tire change, according to Phil Liggett of OLN. "The pressure comes from myself. This is a dream of mine, so there's tension around the race. As far as what others expect, I try not to pay too much attention."

Landis, raised in a Mennonite home near Lancaster, Pa., started racing mountain bikes as a teenager and came to road racing relatively late. He blossomed as a professional on the Postal Service team and rode three Tours in service to Armstrong before going out on his own last year.

"I can't say I spend a whole lot of time thinking about whether he's here or not now," Landis said of Armstrong. "I spent three years of my career riding for him, and I wouldn't change that. I learned a lot and had an experience not many people have _ being part of a winning team. He won it seven years in a row, and I think it will be nice to have a new show, although I can't give a title to it yet."

It could be that Landis, along with Leipheimer and Hincapie, will be fighting for all three spots on the podium. The Tour is going to be that unpredictable this year.

Landis doesn't know that he will win, but believes he can.

"I do," Landis said. "I don't know if anyone else does, but I do."

It is a new Tour, after all, and a strange one. Perhaps the race can be good enough to overshadow the troubling beginning. Perhaps the new face on the top step will stand at attention to a familiar anthem.

Lance Armstrong may be gone, after all, but he didn't take all the Americans with him.