George Hincapie
Encyclopedia
George Hincapié Garcés is an American
professional road bicycle racer currently riding for UCI ProTeam . Hincapie resides in Greenville, South Carolina
. He was a graduate of Farmingdale High School in 1991.
Hincapie is most widely known as a key domestique
of Lance Armstrong
, having been the only rider to assist Armstrong in all seven of his Tour de France
victories. Hincapie was also a domestique for Alberto Contador
in 2007 and for Cadel Evans
in 2011, when both men won the Tour de France
. He is one of only two riders in Tour de France
history to have raced on nine Tour
-winning teams. As of the end of the 2011 Tour
, Hincapie has raced the Tour
16 times, finishing all but the first year.
Hincapie has several important wins of his own, starting with Gent–Wevelgem in 2001 and Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne in 2005. Also in 2005, Hincapie took two stage wins at the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré and 2nd place at Paris–Roubaix. In 2005 he also had his first stage win in the Tour de France where, on July 17, he finished seven seconds ahead of Óscar Pereiro to win stage 15 from Lézat-sur-Lèze to Pla d'Adet. More recent victories include two stages at the Tour of California (2006), the overall and a stage at the Tour of Missouri (2007), and another stage win at the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré in 2008. He is a three-time US Professional Road Race champion (1998, 2006, 2009).
Throughout his career Hincapie has targeted the cobbled classics of April, specifically the week that begins with the Ronde van Vlaanderen, continues mid-week with Gent–Wevelgem, and ends with Paris–Roubaix. Since 2001 he has always been a threat to win, although only achieving the highest position on the podium with his 2001 victory in Gent–Wevelgem.
His many other top 10 placings include 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 10th in various Ronde van Vlaanderen; 3rd, 4th (thrice), and 5th in Gent–Wevelgem in addition to his victory; and 2nd, 4th (twice), 6th (twice), 8th, and 9th in Paris–Roubaix. While using Three Days of De Panne
as a warmup ride during the prior week, he has placed well in that race also, winning the overall in 2004 and placing third overall in 2002.
In recent years Hincapie has shown a talent for short individual time trials (ITTs)
, winning the prologue at the 2005 Critérium du 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. He finished third in the prologue at the 2007 Tour de France
and second in the prologue at the Volta a Catalunya in 2008.
His father Ricardo, a Colombia
n, 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 have two children, daughter Julia Paris (born on November 3, 2004) and son Enzo (born on June 20, 2008). In 2004, Hincapie launched his own line of sportswear (see http://www.hincapiesports.com Hincapie Sports) with his brother Richard.
Hincapie rode for in the 2008 and 2009 seasons, departing Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
shortly before it disbanded. He is easily distinguished from the pack by his large size (6' 3", 191 cm). His contract with the team expired after the 2009 season, and though there was talk of him joining Armstrong's new , Hincapie signed with for the 2010 season.
In May 2010, Hincapie, along with several other riders including Lance Armstrong, was alleged by former U.S. Postal teammate Floyd Landis
to have participated in systematic doping in the early 2000s.
In May 2011 it was reported that Hincapie, along with Tyler Hamilton
, joined others accusing Lance Armstrong
of doping by testifying to a federal grand jury in 2010 about their own cheating, as well as that of Lance Armstrong
. The CBS News
channel program 60 minutes
said Hincapie had told officials he and Armstrong had supplied each other with EPO
before races and discussed using testosterone
. 60 minutes claimed Hincapie had testified to a US federal investigation into doping that he and Armstrong had taken EPO together.
1991
1992
1994
1995
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional road bicycle racer currently riding for UCI ProTeam . Hincapie resides in Greenville, South Carolina
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
. He was a graduate of Farmingdale High School in 1991.
Hincapie is most widely known as a key domestique
Cycling domestique
A domestique is a road bicycle racer who works for the benefit of his team and leader. The French domestique translates as "servant". In Italy and Spain, the term gregario is used, while in Belgium and the Netherlands the term knecht or helper are used...
of Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
, having been the only rider to assist Armstrong in all seven of his Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
victories. Hincapie was also a domestique for Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España, the 2009 Tour de France, the 2010 Tour de France and won 2011 Giro...
in 2007 and for Cadel Evans
Cadel Evans
Cadel Lee Evans is an Australian professional racing cyclist and winner of the 2011 Tour de France. Early in his career, Evans was a champion mountain biker, winning the World Cup in 1998 and 1999 and placing seventh in the men's cross-country mountain bike race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in...
in 2011, when both men won the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
. He is one of only two riders in Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
history to have raced on nine Tour
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
-winning teams. As of the end of the 2011 Tour
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
, Hincapie has raced the Tour
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
16 times, finishing all but the first year.
Hincapie has several important wins of his own, starting with Gent–Wevelgem in 2001 and Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne in 2005. Also in 2005, Hincapie took two stage wins at the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré and 2nd place at Paris–Roubaix. In 2005 he also had his first stage win in the Tour de France where, on July 17, he finished seven seconds ahead of Óscar Pereiro to win stage 15 from Lézat-sur-Lèze to Pla d'Adet. More recent victories include two stages at the Tour of California (2006), the overall and a stage at the Tour of Missouri (2007), and another stage win at the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré in 2008. He is a three-time US Professional Road Race champion (1998, 2006, 2009).
Throughout his career Hincapie has targeted the cobbled classics of April, specifically the week that begins with the Ronde van Vlaanderen, continues mid-week with Gent–Wevelgem, and ends with Paris–Roubaix. Since 2001 he has always been a threat to win, although only achieving the highest position on the podium with his 2001 victory in Gent–Wevelgem.
His many other top 10 placings include 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 10th in various Ronde van Vlaanderen; 3rd, 4th (thrice), and 5th in Gent–Wevelgem in addition to his victory; and 2nd, 4th (twice), 6th (twice), 8th, and 9th in Paris–Roubaix. While using Three Days of De Panne
Three Days of De Panne
The Three Days of De Panne is a mid-week, three-day stage race before the Ronde van Vlaanderen in De Panne in West Flanders, Belgium. It is rated 2.HC by the UCI and is part of the UCI Europe Tour.- Winners :...
as a warmup ride during the prior week, he has placed well in that race also, winning the overall in 2004 and placing third overall in 2002.
In recent years Hincapie has shown a talent for short individual time trials (ITTs)
Individual time trial
An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...
, winning the prologue at the 2005 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, placing second three times and third once in prologues in 2006 (including at the Tour de France
2006 Tour de France
The 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd Tour de France, taking place from July 1 to July 23, 2006. It was won by Óscar Pereiro following the disqualification of apparent winner Floyd Landis....
), and placing second in the short ITT
Individual time trial
An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...
at Three Days of De Panne
Three Days of De Panne
The Three Days of De Panne is a mid-week, three-day stage race before the Ronde van Vlaanderen in De Panne in West Flanders, Belgium. It is rated 2.HC by the UCI and is part of the UCI Europe Tour.- Winners :...
. He also won the ITT at the Eneco Tour of Benelux in 2006 and placed fourth in two longer ITTs that year. He finished third in the prologue at the 2007 Tour de France
2007 Tour de France
The 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain...
and second in the prologue at the Volta a Catalunya in 2008.
His father Ricardo, a Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n, introduced him to cycling, and his first race training was in New York City's Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
. Hincapie is married to former runway model and Tour de France podium girl Melanie Simonneau, and they have two children, daughter Julia Paris (born on November 3, 2004) and son Enzo (born on June 20, 2008). In 2004, Hincapie launched his own line of sportswear (see http://www.hincapiesports.com Hincapie Sports) with his brother Richard.
Hincapie rode for in the 2008 and 2009 seasons, departing Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team was a United States-based professional road bicycle racing team. It was the continuation of the 2004 U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team. Lance Armstrong, seven-time Tour de France winner, was its leader until July 2005...
shortly before it disbanded. He is easily distinguished from the pack by his large size (6' 3", 191 cm). His contract with the team expired after the 2009 season, and though there was talk of him joining Armstrong's new , Hincapie signed with for the 2010 season.
In May 2010, Hincapie, along with several other riders including Lance Armstrong, was alleged by former U.S. Postal teammate Floyd Landis
Floyd Landis
Floyd Landis is an American retired cyclist who after initially being awarded victory in the 2006 Tour de France was stripped of his title for a doping offense. He was an all-around rider, with special skills in climbing and time-trialing, and is also known to be a very fast descender.Landis...
to have participated in systematic doping in the early 2000s.
In May 2011 it was reported that Hincapie, along with Tyler Hamilton
Tyler Hamilton
Tyler Hamilton is a former American professional road bicycle racer and former Olympic gold medalist. Hamilton became a professional cyclist in 1995, and during the 1999, 2000 and 2001 Tour de France was a teammate of Lance Armstrong who won those races.Hamilton appeared at the 2000 Summer...
, joined others accusing Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
of doping by testifying to a federal grand jury in 2010 about their own cheating, as well as that of Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
. The CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
channel program 60 minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
said Hincapie had told officials he and Armstrong had supplied each other with EPO
Erythropoietin
Erythropoietin, or its alternatives erythropoetin or erthropoyetin or EPO, is a glycoprotein hormone that controls erythropoiesis, or red blood cell production...
before races and discussed using testosterone
Testosterone
Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group and is found in mammals, reptiles, birds, and other vertebrates. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands...
. 60 minutes claimed Hincapie had testified to a US federal investigation into doping that he and Armstrong had taken EPO together.
Major results
1988- 1st
National U-17 Road Race Champion
1991
- 3rd Pursuit World U-19 Track Cycling Championships
1992
- 1st TTT US Olympic Trials
1994
- 1st Stage 1 Tour de LuxembourgTour de LuxembourgTour de Luxembourg is an annual stage race in professional road bicycle racing held in Luxembourg. The Tour de Luxembourg is classified as a 2.HC, the highest rating below the ProTour, by the Union Cycliste Internationale , the sport's governing body. In 2006, the Tour was part of the UCI Europe...
- 1st Stage 4 Tour de LuxembourgTour de LuxembourgTour de Luxembourg is an annual stage race in professional road bicycle racing held in Luxembourg. The Tour de Luxembourg is classified as a 2.HC, the highest rating below the ProTour, by the Union Cycliste Internationale , the sport's governing body. In 2006, the Tour was part of the UCI Europe...
- 1st
Points Classification
- 1st
- 1st Stage 3 West Virginia Classic
1995
- 1st Acht van Chaam
1997
- 1st Stage 1, Setmana Catalana
1998
- 1st National Road Race Champion
- 1st Overall Killington Stage Race
1999
- 1st First Union Classic
- 1st Points Competition Tour de LuxembourgTour de LuxembourgTour de Luxembourg is an annual stage race in professional road bicycle racing held in Luxembourg. The Tour de Luxembourg is classified as a 2.HC, the highest rating below the ProTour, by the Union Cycliste Internationale , the sport's governing body. In 2006, the Tour was part of the UCI Europe...
- 1st Stage 6 PruTourTour of BritainThe Tour of Britain is a cycle race, conducted over several stages, in which participants race from place to place across parts of Great Britain....
- 4th Paris–Roubaix
2000
- 6th Paris–Roubaix
2001
- 1st Gent–Wevelgem
- 1st BMC San Francisco Grand PrixSan Francisco Grand PrixThe San Francisco Grand Prix was a road cycling race held in San Francisco, United States in early September. It was as a 1.HC event and in 2005 part of the UCI America Tour. It lasted five years....
- 4th Paris–Roubaix
2002
- 1st Stage 1 TTT Volta Ciclista a Catalunya
- 6th Paris–Roubaix
- 4th Ronde van Vlaanderen
2003
- 1st Stage 4 TTT Tour de France2003 Tour de FranceThe 2003 Tour de France started and ended in Paris. Lasting from July 5 to July 27 the race covered 3,427.5 km , proceeding clockwise in twenty stages around France, including six major mountain stages...
- 7th Overall Tour of BelgiumTour of BelgiumThe Tour of Belgium is a four-day bicycle race which is held annually in Belgium.It was held annually between 1908 and 1981, except during both world wars. Between 1982 and 1990 several of races were not organised and none at all during the decade 1991 to 2001...
2004
- 1st
Overall Three Days of De PanneThree Days of De PanneThe Three Days of De Panne is a mid-week, three-day stage race before the Ronde van Vlaanderen in De Panne in West Flanders, Belgium. It is rated 2.HC by the UCI and is part of the UCI Europe Tour.- Winners :... - 1st Stage 4 TTT Tour de France2004 Tour de FranceThe 2004 Tour de France was the 91st, taking place from July 3 to July 25, 2004. It consisted of 20 stages over 3391 km.Lance Armstrong became the first to win six Tours de France. Armstrong had been favored to win, his competitors seen as being German Jan Ullrich, Spaniards Roberto Heras and...
- 8th Paris–Roubaix
- 10th Ronde van Vlaanderen
2005
- 1st Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne
- 1st Prologue Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
- 1st Stage 7 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
- 1st GP Ouest-FranceGP Ouest-FranceGrand-Prix de Plouay Ouest-France is an elite cycle race held annually in late summer around a circuit based on the small Breton village of Plouay since 1931...
- 2nd Paris–Roubaix
- 7th Ronde van Vlaanderen
- 14th Overall Tour de France2005 Tour de FranceThe 2005 Tour de France was the 92nd Tour de France, taking place from July 2 to July 24, 2005. It comprised 21 stages over 3592.5 km, the winner's average speed was 41.654 km/h. The first stages were held in the département of the Vendée, for the third time in 12 years. The 2005 Tour was...
- 1st Stage 4 TTT
- 1st Stage 15
2006
- 1st National Road Race Champion
- 2nd Overall, Eneco Tour of Benelux
- 1st Stage 4 ITT
- 2nd Prologue Tour de FranceTour de FranceThe Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
- Held Maillot Jaune from Stages 1-2
- Held Maillot Jaune
- 3rd Ronde van Vlaanderen
- 4th Overall Tour of CaliforniaTour of California 2006The 2006 Tour of California was the inaugural edition of a professional cycling stage race that made its debut on February 19, 2006. Sponsored by the biotechnology company Amgen, the eight-day, 700 mile race started in San Francisco, winding its way down the California coast to finish in Redondo...
- 1st Stage 2
- 1st Stage 5
2007
- 1st Overall Tour of Missouri2007 Tour of MissouriThe 2007 Tour of Missouri is the inaugural edition of a professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Missouri that made its debut on September 11, 2007 with six days of racing. Run by same organizers as the Tour de Georgia and the Amgen Tour of California, the Tour of Missouri is being...
- 1st Stage 2
- 2nd USPRO National Championships Road Race
- 3rd Stage 6 Tour de Georgia2007 Tour de GeorgiaThe 2007 Tour de Georgia was a seven-stage professional bicycle race held from April 16 through April 22, 2007 across the state of Georgia and into Tennessee. The race was part of the 2007 USA Cycling Pro Tour...
- 3rd Prologue Tour de France2007 Tour de FranceThe 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain...
2008
- 1st Stage 7 Tour of California2008 Tour of CaliforniaThe 2008 Tour of California was the third edition of an eight-day, 650-mile stage race, which began in Palo Alto , then raced through the California redwoods, wine country and the Pacific Coast and finished in Pasadena. The road bicycle racing event was held February 17–24...
Stage 3, Most Aggressive Rider
- 1st Stage 2, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
- 9th Paris–Roubaix
- 5th Ronde van Vlaanderen
2009
- 1st National Road Race Champion
- 19th Overall Tour de France2009 Tour de FranceThe 2009 Tour de France was the 96th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started on 4 July in the principality of Monaco with a individual time trial which included a section of the Circuit de Monaco...
2010
- 4th Gent–Wevelgem
- 6th Ronde van Vlaanderen
2011
- 2nd National Road Race Championchips
- 5th Overall USA Pro Cycling Challenge2011 USA Pro Cycling ChallengeThe 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge was the inaugural running of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge stage race. It was held from August 22–28, and was rated as a 2.1 event on the UCI America Tour...
- 1st Stage 2
- 6th Ronde van Vlaanderen2011 Tour of FlandersThe 2011 Tour of Flanders cycle race was the 95th edition of this monumental classic and took place on 3 April. The course was long and was held between Brugge and Ninove. The race was won by Nick Nuyens ahead of Sylvain Chavanel and Fabian Cancellara....