• April 25, 2006

Looking to further heighten consumer interest in cycling, Discovery Channel has launched a four-and-a-half-month marketing campaign centered around Lance Armstrong, which will culminate in a cycling race event on the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway in August. A series of exclusive Internet webisodes, at www.racetoreplace.com, will feature an in-depth look at the stars of the team beginning May 15. The webisodes will also be available as video podcasts.

The race, called "Race2Replace," is part of a campaign that seeks to find the next team leader of the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team taking over from Lance Armstrong, the seven-time winner of the Tour de France, who retired last July. Discovery Channel's team members in contention, who will be featured in the webisodes, are: Jose Azevedo, Tom Danielson, Viatcheslav Ekimov, George Hincapie, Yaroslav Popovych, Chechu Rubiera, and Paolo Savoldelli.

--Wayne Friedman