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by John Fontana, Contributing Editor

Denver, CO (Sept 25, 2008) - It’s been a fantastic year in cycling and it has only gotten better with free Webcast coverage of the last major event on the calendar – the UCI Road World Championships, that started yesterday.

Both the men and women will race on the road and/or in the time trial (the so-called race of truth) for the coveted rainbow jersey. The under-23 division, which always provides a glimpse of future stars, is also on the schedule.

In the United States, there is no other outlet for this coverage and the fact that it is free just by registering at the Universal Sports web site is a major bonus.

The men’s road race will feature two-time defending champion Paolo Bettini, who will be racing on home soil in Italy. He is trying to become the first man ever to win three consecutive world cycling titles.

The top American challenger is Levi Leipheimer, who finished second in the Tour of Spain, which concluded Sunday. Leipheimer was third in the Tour de France in 2007. Also on the start line will be Spaniard Alberto Contador who won the Tour of Spain ahead of Leipheimer and became just the fifth man ever to win all three major grand tours (France in 2007, Italy and Spain this year).

Absent will be comeback kid Lance Armstrong, who won’t be back in the peloton until 2009.
But there will be plenty more racers including Olympic champion Samuel Sánchez of Spain and teammate Oscar Freire, who is looking to become the only four time winner. In the time trial the top American men are Leipheimer and David Zabriskie.

On the women’s side, Olympic medalists Kristin Armstrong will lead the American team.

Here is the schedule (which includes TV broadcasts in some markets – check availability here):










Elite Women's Time Trial September 24 9:00am LIVE

Under 23 Men's Time Trial September 24 1:00pm Online only

Elite Men's Time Trial September 25 8:00 am LIVE

Under 23 Men's Road Race September 26 10:00 am Online only

Elite Women's Road Race September 27 8:00 am LIVE

Elite Men's Road Race September 28 7:00am LIVE online (TV 9:0 0am)

*All times ET

By day, John Fontana is a Senior Editor for a global technical trade magazine. He is also an avid outdoors sports participant and cycling fan.