Racing Around the World

by Heather Magruder

Anyone who saw George Hincapie sweep across the finish line of Stage 15 in the Tour de France last year could have guessed that it would be one of the most memorable moments of Hincapie’s career. “That was the greatest feeling in the whole world,” Hincapie says. “I remember looking up and seeing the clock read 00:00:00 and it looked funny to me. I was used to seeing 00:10:05 or 00:12:29 to mark the time that I had lost to the winner. People were cheering and screaming, and this time it read 00:00:00. That meant I had won the race. It was an amazing feeling. I’ll never forget that moment as long as I live.”

Hincapie, who makes his home in Upstate South Carolina, is one of the world’s best cyclists. He is best known for having ridden alongside Lance Armstrong, helping him along the way to seven consecutive wins of the Tour de France, cycling’s most famous, epic race, which lasts for two weeks. In winning his sixth consecutive tour, Armstrong broke the previous record, and then went on to break his own record before retiring after his overall win in the Tour last year – the same tour in which Hincapie won one of the tougher stages.

In his limited time off the bike, Hincapie enjoys spending time on the South Carolina coast, especially the area around Charleston. Several of his South Carolina favorites are centered around cycling. His favorite ride is over Caesar’s Head. “That is a great tool for me, but it’s also an incredible view from the top. Paris Mountain is also a favorite ride for me in the Greenville area.”

Like his favorites in South Carolina, many of Hincapie’s memories are related to cycling. The Stage 15 win is one of many memories he carries with him as he travels around the world. Perhaps not surprisingly, Hincapie’s cache of memories in general begins with cycling – one of his earliest memories is of learning to ride his bicycle without training wheels. At the age of five, he was a full-fledged rider of a two-wheeler. Not so unusual for any boy or girl around that age. That’s where the commonality ends, though.

Before he was out of single digits, Hincapie had taken to racing. Even this wasn’t too much of a surprise. Bike racing runs in the Hincapie family. George’s dad raced. So did big brother, Rich. From the start, though, George set himself apart from the pack. “I entered my first bike race when I was 8 years old,” Hincapie recalls. “It was an awesome experience, and I won my first race. I won all of the races I entered for the first couple years.”

In addition to a young, strong pair of legs, one of the things that carried Hincapie to the finish line first in those early races was the simple joy of riding. He turned pro in 1994, first finding a thrill in racing in the Tour of Mexico and then in Europe. Of all the races, it’s the European ones that have captured his heart the most.

“Paris-Roubaix is my favorite race,” he says. “I love the one-day classics style of racing, and Paris-Roubaix is the hardest, most brutal of the one-day classics. You have to ride more than 150 miles over some of the roughest roads you will ever see in your life. The weather is usually pretty miserable, so it challenges you on all fronts. I was second in 2005, and that’s the highest ever for an American. Things were looking great this year until I suffered a mechanical breakdown that took me out of the race. I will be there to try to win it again next year.”

Before Hincapie tries to win Paris-Roubaix next year, he will be looking to make more memories for himself (and for those of us who are watching) in the Tour de France this month. He’ll be powering himself across France on legs and lungs and heart that he’s developed over years of training. He’ll also be using one of the same tools he’s been using since he shed those training wheels.
“At the end of the day, I just love racing my bicycle. It’s just fun for me to ride. This is what I want to do. Sure, there are times when it’s so hard you aren’t having that much fun. There are times when you don’t want to go for a ride or finish the race, but at the end of the day, I love this sport.”

Adding to that, Hincapie is now a husband and father, which he says has helped him focus. “I think it helps me appreciate things a little more. It is helping me become the best cyclist I can be.” SCM

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