George Hincapie

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George Hincapie
Personal information
Full name George Hincapie
Date of birth June 29, 1973 (age 33)
Country Flag of United States United States
Height 1.91 m
Weight 79 kg
Team information
Current team Discovery Channel
Discipline Road
Role Rider
Rider type Classics specialist
Professional team(s)
1994-1996
1997-
Motorola
Discovery Channel
Major wins
Gent-Wevelgem (2001)
GP Ouest-France (2005)
Flag of United States National Champion (1998, 2006)
Infobox last updated on:
January 10, 2007

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 De 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

Hincapie signing in at Tarbes during the 2006 Tour de France
Hincapie signing in at Tarbes during the 2006 Tour de France
2006 – Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
Flag of United States United States National Road Race Cycling Champion
32nd, Overall, Tour de France
Maillot jaune after stage 1, worn during stage 2
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 De 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
Hincapie at Saint-Flour during the 2004 Tour de France
Hincapie at Saint-Flour during the 2004 Tour de France
2004 – U.S. Postal Service Cycling Team presented by Berry Floor
1st, Overall, Three Days of De 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
Flag of United States 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


Riders on Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team

Ivan Basso | Fumiyuki Beppu | Volodymyr Bileka | Janez Brajkovič | Alberto Contador | Antonio Cruz | Steve Cummings | Tom Danielson | John Devine | Stijn Devolder | Vladimir Gusev | George Hincapie | Levi Leipheimer | Fuyu Li | Trent Lowe | Egoi Martínez | Jason McCartney | Gianni Meersman | Uroš Murn | Benjamín Noval | Pavel Padrnos | Sérgio Paulinho | Yaroslav Popovych | José Luis Rubiera | Tomas Vaitkus | Jurgen Van Goolen | Brian Vandborg |  Matt White

Manager
Johan Bruyneel

[edit] External links