Thursday, seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong announced that he has no intention of taking part in the Leadville Trail 100 on August 11, 2007.
"Lance had a scheduling conflict come up and he regrettably cannot participate in the event," commented Armstrong's manager Mark Higgins to thepaceline.com.
Earlier this month it was speculated that the Texan would take part in the 100-mile endurance event in Leadville, Colorado. The race received even bigger headlines when it was announced that Floyd Landis accepted an invitation to compete in the event; creating a "Landis vs. Armstrong" billing.
Landis also may have problems racing. Depending on the classification of the race, the organiser could be forced to reject the American. This last July, he tested positive for testosterone in stage 17 of the Tour, and depending on United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) hearings in early 2007, he may be facing a ban from the sport of cycling. (Complete Landis coverage.)
Nonetheless, the Leadville Trail 100 should be an exciting race, with approximately 14,000 feet (4,267m) of elevation gain. Organisers will accept registrations from January 3-31, 2007. A lottery will then select participants from the entries received. Typically, 750 racers start and about 500-600 finish.
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