• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, December 12, 2008

Versus has agreed to terms to carry the first race in Lance Armstrong's much-anticipated comeback--next month's Tour Down Under in Australia. The deal calls for the Comcast-owned network to be the exclusive U.S. broadcaster of the race via a daily highlight show.

Versus' agreement is with the Australian rights holder, Eurocam. The deal is expected to be completed within days, with only some paperwork yet to be signed, according to Eurocam General Manager Frank Chidiac.

"The 2009 race has certainly attracted plenty of attention with the return of Lance Armstrong," Chidiac wrote in an email. "In particular, in the U.S. We are pleased that Versus has come on board as a partner to showcase the event to U.S. audiences."

The Tour Down Under will not be carried live, but Versus will air a daily half-hour highlight show after each of the race's six stages, which begin Jan. 20. The network, however, will work with Eurocam to air some special interviews with Armstrong at various points in the race.

Efforts to reach Versus spokespeople were unsuccessful late Thursday night.

The event will be held in South Adelaide, Australia. And Chidiac said that the Versus deal "is another milestone" for the race, where interest is high regarding how the 37-year-old Armstrong will fare after his 2005 retirement.

Versus is now poised to ride along with Armstrong to ratings success--and a resulting lift in ad sales--next year. In a sense, the Tour Down Under is another sweetener to what will be the main course when Armstrong goes for an eighth title at the Tour de France on the network next summer.

Versus will also carry the second race in Armstrong's return, the Tour of California, live in February. But until early this month, Armstrong had been noncommittal about participating in the Tour de France because of fears about his safety. Many French fans believe he has used performance-enhancing drugs and remain angry at the prospect.

Late last month, Versus president Jamie Davis suggested that the excitement surrounding Armstrong's return to the sport--and whether he indeed would ride in the Tour de France--marked a major story line for the network in 2009. "Lance will bring in the casual fan," Davis said.