Lance Armstrong heads a list of four cyclists nominated for this year's Laureus World Sports Awards. Although this year's list is dominated by Olympic achievements, Armstrong's record-breaking sixth Tour de France victory has to make him a strong contender in the category of Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, against runner Hicham El Guerrouj, tennis player Roger Federer, swimmer Michael Phelps, Formula One driver Michael Schumacher and motorbike racer Valentino Rossi.
Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel was nominated for Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year for her record number of Olympic medals in cycling. She is up against runner Kelly Holmes, pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva, heptathlete Carolina Kluft, tennis player Maria Sharapova and golfer Annika Sorenstam.
Mountain bike cross-country racer Gunn-Rita Dahle and freerider Darren "Bear Claw" Berrecloth have been nominated for Best Alternative Sportsperson of the Year.
Dahle was practically unbeaten in top-level mountain bike racing last year, landing the world championship, World Cup and Olympic titles in her second year of total domination of women's mountain bike racing. Berrecloth is widely considered to be the top exponent of the freeride discipline of mountain biking, which involves riding extremely steep and technical terrain.
The fat-tyre pair are up against wakeboarder Dallas Friday, Mike Horn, the first man to circumnavigate the Arctic Circle on foot and by kayak, solo round-the-world sailing record holder Ellen MacArthur and freeskier and BASE jumper Shane McConkey.
