Tour de France contenders vie to fill void

VAL D’ISERE, France – Call it a race for recognition.

After Monday’s rest day, the Tour de France heads into its last ride through the Alps in the ninth stage today with the race finally starting to take shape – and a new crop of contenders emerging.

Michael Rasmussen of Denmark will wear the yellow jersey after winning Sunday’s eighth stage, and he’s entertaining notions of taking it home with him instead of the polka-dot jersey of the Tour’s best climber that he won the last two years.

The void left by retirement and doping allegations clouding the sport have sidelined many cyclists who dominated the race for the past decade.

Seven-time champion Lance Armstrong retired, Floyd Landis is fighting doping allegations from last year’s Tour, 1997 winner Jan Ullrich retired amid doping allegations, and 2005 runner-up Ivan Basso was suspended for two years after admitting to “attempted doping.”

Two of Ullrich’s former support riders, Astana team members Alexandre Vinokourov and Andreas Kloeden, are seen as top contenders, but both are nursing injuries from crashes in the frenzied fifth stage. Carlos Sastre of Spain, once a workhorse for Basso, is Team CSC’s leader.

American Levi Leipheimer, a former teammate of Armstrong and current Discovery Channel leader, also is a threat.

Among the youngsters who could be the face of the future of cycling is Germany’s 24-year-old Linus Gerdemann. Gerdemann wore the prized yellow shirt until Rasmussen took it Sunday.