George Hincapie
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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|
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | George Hincapie |
| Date of birth | June 29, 1973 |
| Country |  United States |
| Team information | |
| Current team | Discovery Channel |
| Professional team(s) | |
| 1994-1996 1997-2004 2005-present |
Motorola U.S. Postal Discovery Channel |
| Major wins | |
| 1 stage Tour de France | |
George Hincapie (born June 29, 1973 in Queens, New York City) is an American professional road bicycle racer residing in Greenville, South Carolina.
He is often seen as a key domestique of the seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. However, Hincapie does have several important wins of his own, including Gent-Wevelgem in 2001 and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in 2005. Also in 2005, Hincapie took two stage wins at Dauphiné Libéré and 2nd place at Paris-Roubaix. He is always considered one of the favorites for Paris-Roubaix and the Ronde van Vlaanderen. In 2005 he also had his first stage win in the Tour de France. On July 17 he finished seven seconds ahead of Oscar Pereiro to win stage 15. Hincapie finished 5:03 ahead of the race favorites including teammate and eventual race winner, Lance Armstrong.
His father, a Colombian, introduced him to cycling, and his first race training was in New York City's Central Park. Hincapie is married to former runway model and Tour de France podium girl Melanie Simonneau, and they had their first child, daughter Julia Paris, on November 3, 2004.
He currently rides for the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team, and is easily distinguished from the pack by his large size (6' 3", 191cm) and Oakley sunglasses.
He recently launched his own line of sportswear (see [1] Hincapie Sports, with his brother Richard.
Hincapie is the only rider who has been with Lance Armstrong in each of his seven Tour de France victories. Hincapie won his first Tour de France stage on July 17, 2005 in stage 15 from Lézat-sur-Lèze to Pla d'Adet. It was the first stage won by a teammate of Lance Armstrong since 1999, and it was Hincapie's first stage win in 10 Tours.
Hincapie placed 32nd in the 2006 Tour de France, finishing one hour, 11 minutes, 14 seconds behind Tour winner Floyd Landis.
In recent years Hincapie has shown a talent for short individual time trials (ITTs), winning the prologue at the 2005 Dauphiné Libéré, placing second three times and third once in prologues in 2006 (including at the Tour de France), and placing second in the short ITT at Three Days of the Panne. He also won the ITT at the Eneco Tour of Benelux in 2006 and placed fourth in two longer ITTs that year.
[edit] Major Results
- 2006 – Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
- United States National Road Race Cycling Champion
- 32nd, Overall, Tour de France
- Maillot jaune after stage 1
- 2nd, Prologue
- 2nd, Overall, Eneco Tour of Benelux
- 2nd, Prologue
- 1st, Stage 4 (ITT)
- Red jersey after stage 4
- 3rd, Ronde van Vlaanderen
- 5th, Overall, Three Days of the Panne
- 2nd, Stage 4 (ITT)
- 10th, Overall, Dauphiné Libéré
- 2nd, Prologue
- 4th, Stage 3 (ITT)
- 4th, Stage 7
- 4th, Overall, Tour of California
- 1st, Stage 2
- 1st, Stage 5
- Stage 2, Tour of California, Leader's Jersey
- Stages 2-6, Tour of California, Sprinter's Jersey
- 3rd, Prologue
- 4th, Stage 3 (ITT)
- 5th, Stage 1
- 5th, Gent-Wevelgem
- 8th, Tirreno-Adriatico
- 9th, Clásica de San Sebastián
- 2005 – Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
- 1st, Stage 15, Tour de France
- 1st, Stage 4 Team Time Trial, Tour de France
- 1st, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne
- 1st, Prologue, Dauphiné Libéré
- 1st, Stage 7, Dauphiné Libéré
- 1st, GP Ouest-France
- 2nd, Paris-Roubaix
- 7th, Ronde van Vlaanderen
- 2004 – U.S. Postal Service Cycling Team presented by Berry Floor
- 1st, Overall, Three Days of the Panne
- 1st, Stage 4 Team Time Trial, Tour de France
- 4th, Gent-Wevelgem
- 8th, Paris-Roubaix
- 10th, Ronde van Vlaanderen
- 2002 – U.S. Postal Service Cycling Team
- 3rd, Gent-Wevelgem
- 4th, Ronde van Vlaanderen
- 6th, Paris-Roubaix
- 2001 – U.S. Postal Service Cycling Team
- 1st, Gent-Wevelgem
- 1st, BMC San Francisco Grand Prix
- 4th, Paris-Roubaix
- 1999 – U.S. Postal Service Cycling Team
- 1st, First Union Classic
- 1st, Points Competition, Tour de Luxembourg
- 1st, Stage 6, PruTour
- 4th, Paris-Roubaix
- 4th, Gent-Wevelgem
- 1998 – U.S. Postal Service Cycling Team
- United States National Road Race Cycling Champion
- 1st, Overall, Killington Stage Race
- 1997 – U.S. Postal Service Cycling Team
- 1st, Stage 1, Setmana Catalana
- 1995 – Motorola
- 1st, 8 of Chaam (Holland)
- 1994 – Motorola-Magniflex
- 1st, Points Competition, Tour de Luxembourg
- 1st, 2 stages, Tour de Luxembourg
- 1st, stage, Kmart Classic
- 1992
- 1st, TTT, US Olympic Trials
[edit] External links
Categories: 1973 births | Living people | American cyclists | American cycling road race champions | American Tour de France stage winners | Olympic competitors for the United States | Cyclists at the 1992 Summer Olympics | Cyclists at the 1996 Summer Olympics | Cyclists at the 2000 Summer Olympics | Cyclists at the 2004 Summer Olympics | People from Greenville, South Carolina | People from Queens
