# Hincapie announces retirement



## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

...plans to hang it up after the USAPCC and Le Tour.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/06/news/george-hincapie-to-retire-in-august_223195


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## JSR (Feb 27, 2006)

Sad news. Although his winning days are behind him, his on-the-road captancy is exemplary. Being a member of nine TdF winning teams only begins to tell the story.

JSR


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## paredown (Oct 18, 2006)

Nineteen years! Holy carp!!

Big George will be missed, especially by Cadel...


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## burgrat (Nov 18, 2005)

Although he never won Roubaix, his best win was marrying a TdF podium girl!
She's haute!!!


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## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

she is also his dietician! and french, iirc.

hincapie knows all about the underbelly of cycling. i am surrised he lasted this long after armstrong left. his legacy will be that he was a workhorse unable to win the one race that mattered to him. also, armstrong was unable to win without him. hopefully he has been able to give some of his knowledge to phinney.

although i will say he isnt the sharpest at reading the race...



burgrat said:


> Although he never won Roubaix, his best win was marrying a TdF podium girl!
> She's haute!!!


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## ronbo613 (Jan 19, 2009)

A good man and great bike racer who made a career racing bicycles. Personally, I would have loved to see him somehow win Paris-Roubiax, but he's won stages in the Tour de France, US Champion and had a fantastic career as a bike racer people who frequent this forum can only dream of.
Hope to meet Big George and ride with him someday....


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## ronbo613 (Jan 19, 2009)

weltyed said:


> she is also his dietician! and french, iirc.
> 
> hincapie knows all about the underbelly of cycling. i am surrised he lasted this long after armstrong left. his legacy will be that he was a workhorse unable to win the one race that mattered to him. also, armstrong was unable to win without him. hopefully he has been able to give some of his knowledge to phinney.
> 
> although i will say he isnt the sharpest at reading the race...


Since you can't spell(maybe English is not your language), you've probably done better than George by winning a few stages at the Tour, maybe a couple classics, been a good teammate to other great athletes, married a hot babe and have enough left over to criticize somebody who has actually done something, you wouldn't care to put your real name out there, would you big guy?


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## steelbikerider (Feb 7, 2005)

I have nothing but respect for George and his cycling career. It wasn't about reading the race but being able to close the deal on a classic. Look at his peak years and classic finishes from 99 - 05. He was there, but, ........ On the other hand, none of of the classic winners could do what George did in the Tours for his GC leaders. Other than LA in '03 or '04, I don't recall any of George's teamleaders getting caught in a crash and losing time in the last hour of the early stages of the Tours when Hicapie was doing his job leading out LA in the cobbles, Evans last year or Cav in a sprints, George was one of the best.


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## min8251 (Jun 10, 2006)

Bummer!! I dig "Big George"!!


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## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

ronbo613 said:


> Since you can't spell(maybe English is not your language), you've probably done better than George by winning a few stages at the Tour, maybe a couple classics, been a good teammate to other great athletes, married a hot babe and have enough left over to criticize somebody who has actually done something, you wouldn't care to put your real name out there, would you big guy?


are you serious?
1) i was praising him for his team-centric approach
B) he WILL be remembered for never winning P-R. in spectacular fashion, mind you, and no fault of his own. i never said he wouldnt be remembered for winning classics, but NOT winning PR will be his legacy.
III) he is not known for being able to read the race as it develops. see the Tour stage armstrong attempted to gift him. also, see his reaction two years ago when he was chased down by RadioShack. this coming after he tipped armstrong they were gonna hammer a corner and eschelon the group, leaving contador out in the wind alone.
Four) you forgot to call me out that he ran bottles for 9 of the last 13 Tour winners, his national champion wins, his sprinting ability or technical and casual clothing line.
iiiii) im sure you can find my real name.
XI) youre gonna discount my viewpoint based on speling and punctuation/ on a web board?

because nobody will ever remember him losing P-R :









i am not a procycling historian, i believe he is responsible for my favorite lead out ever: the bell lamp on the champs-elysees of the 2009 Tour. garmin looked to be in the drivers seat, but hincapie stole the leadout from them by taking an inside line. this stonewalled garmin and launched cavendish to a flawless victory. i would link to the youtube video, but since you know all about hincapie...

this is the end of my rant.








now back to your regularly scheduled program.


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## lemonlime (Sep 24, 2003)

ronbo613 said:


> Since you can't spell(maybe English is not your language), you've probably done better than George by winning a few stages at the Tour, maybe a couple classics, been a good teammate to other great athletes, married a hot babe and have enough left over to criticize somebody who has actually done something, you wouldn't care to put your real name out there, would you big guy?


How many clowns can you bench?


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## lemonlime (Sep 24, 2003)

Great guy. No knife.


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## thechriswebb (Nov 21, 2008)

Unfortunately, to the casual fan it is likely that George's lack of a PR victory will be one of his big legacies.

George's biggest contribution to the sport probably isn't his high finishes on the cobbles though. I think Cadel's unhappy reaction is indicative of George's leadership on the road. George's role as a road captain and (though not the GC contender) team leader as seen on Columbia-HTC and BMC has been one that isn't as flashy as some but extremely important. I remember hearing Cadel describe after his tour victory how George guided his victory after coaxing him to BMC from a support role for VDB at Lotto and believing in him that he could win the TDF. 

George will be missed. I'm glad I got to see him race one time before his retirement. There was a big crowd at US Nats this year and a lot of big names but there was one person that everyone was there to see.


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## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

thechriswebb said:


> Unfortunately, to the casual fan it is likely that George's lack of a PR victory will be one of his big legacies.
> 
> George's biggest contribution to the sport probably isn't his high finishes on the cobbles though. I think Cadel's unhappy reaction is indicative of George's leadership on the road. George's role as a road captain and (though not the GC contender) team leader as seen on Columbia-HTC and BMC has been one that isn't as flashy as some but extremely important. I remember hearing Cadel describe after his tour victory how George guided his victory after coaxing him to BMC from a support role for VDB at Lotto and believing in him that he could win the TDF....


/\nailed it/\


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## veloduffer (Aug 26, 2004)

Sad news indeed - he's one of my favorite racers and fellow Long Islander (originally from Farmingdale). He was so close to winning P-R but was snake-bitten by a combination of bad luck, being part of strong tour/weak classics teams, and riding against Museeuw & the Mapei classics powerhouse teams during his prime.

Classy guy - essentially the American version of Jens Voight IMHO. I expect to see him on some team as a directeur sportif.


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## thechriswebb (Nov 21, 2008)

I also want to add to Weltyed's reference to Hincapie's move in Paris in 2009 that he was riding with a completely broken collarbone.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

The guy is a living legend. 

Given his success off the bike -- with Hincapie clothing -- I imagine that he will continue to stay peripherally involved in cycling.


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## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

The clothing line is his brother, not him as I recall. But loves me some Big George.


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## litespeedchick (Sep 9, 2003)

I'll miss seeing George sheppard the young talents around. Remeber Sivtsov in the 2008 Tour de Georgia? I actually remember watching George sprinting on the flat stages in the TdF in the days before he remade himself into a mountain climber for Lance. 

I once lucked into sitting on George's wheel for a couple of minutes a few years ago when he was out training with one of my friends here in Greenville. It was the most awesome thing ever to sit there behind that unmistakable form where a whole lot of great riders have sat. 

George's individual efforts may have been a little bit snakebit sometimes (although not always...the career is so long you forget some of his triumphs ...see George Hincapie - Bio ) but as a leader, strongman, and all around class guy...his career was stellar.


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## 32and3cross (Feb 28, 2005)

litespeedchick said:


> I'll miss seeing George sheppard the young talents around. Remeber Sivtsov in the 2008 Tour de Georgia? I actually remember watching George sprinting on the flat stages in the TdF in the days before he remade himself into a mountain climber for Lance.
> 
> I once lucked into sitting on George's wheel for a couple of minutes a few years ago when he was out training with one of my friends here in Greenville. It was the most awesome thing ever to sit there behind that unmistakable form where a whole lot of great riders have sat.
> 
> George's individual efforts may have been a little bit snakebit sometimes (although not always...the career is so long you forget some of his triumphs ...see George Hincapie - Bio ) but as a leader, strongman, and all around class guy...his career was stellar.


George is legend for sure. I have been in the Gville training series when he dropped in to race, being in the pack when he went to the front and twisted the throttle was an experience thank god he eased up (and likely never even got close to all out).


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## Tschai (Jun 19, 2003)

ronbo613 said:


> Since you can't spell(maybe English is not your language), you've probably done better than George by winning a few stages at the Tour, maybe a couple classics, been a good teammate to other great athletes, married a hot babe and have enough left over to criticize somebody who has actually done something, you wouldn't care to put your real name out there, would you big guy?


Nuts. Your logic seems to be that a person cannot critique a professional athlete's legacy, career, results, and the like, unless that person has achieved the same level of success as that of the athlete. We might as well get rid of ESPN, most play-by-play announcers, beat writers and so on and so forth. 

I am not a casual cycling fan. The first thing that comes to my mind about George Hincapie is that he failed to win Roubaix. I also wonder what kind of career he would have had if he dedicated himself 100% to becoming a team leader for the classics and the like. I believe he spent the majority of his career helping others win and that this mentality cost him results. 

Is he a great cyclist? Eh, who knows. He certainly was a durable SOB.


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## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

embedding disabled by request. ladies and gentlemen, i give you the final lap of the tour de france, 2009:

Tour de France 2009 - stage 21 (final lap of Champs-Élysées) - YouTube


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## Erion929 (Jun 10, 2010)

I've only followed pro racing in the last 4-5 years. So question...why is Hincapie's legacy that he never won Paris-Roubaix? What's the huge deal with that?


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## wblas3271 (May 12, 2012)

Erion929 said:


> I've only followed pro racing in the last 4-5 years. So question...why is Hincapie's legacy that he never won Paris-Roubaix? What's the huge deal with that?



The same reason people critique the accomplishments/careers of all other athletes/celebrities/etc. Self esteem issues and too much free time.


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## Alaska Mike (Sep 28, 2008)

Erion929 said:


> I've only followed pro racing in the last 4-5 years. So question...why is Hincapie's legacy that he never won Paris-Roubaix? What's the huge deal with that?


For those that love the Northern Classics, Hincapie will always have a special place in their hearts. To be honest, his wreck from the broken steerer tube gets more replays in Belgium than just about any victory, and he holds a great deal of respect in the region as a pave rider. For many (including me), Paris-Roubaix and de Ronde are a bigger deal than any Grand Tour. It takes a special kind of rider to love the pave, and he is exceptional among them.

That said, his palmares and those of riders he led to victory are what he'll be remembered for. In the end, he'll be remembered as the ultimate super-domestique, which is a true badge of honor in my eyes, and the very soul of professional cycling.

He will be missed in the peloton.


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## JustTooBig (Aug 11, 2005)

ronbo613 said:


> Since you can't spell(maybe English is not your language), you've probably done better than George by winning a few stages at the Tour, maybe a couple classics, been a good teammate to other great athletes, married a hot babe and have enough left over to criticize somebody who has actually done something, you wouldn't care to put your real name out there, would you big guy?


WTF??

Careful there, your inner douchebag is showing...


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## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

wblas3271 said:


> The same reason people critique the accomplishments/careers of all other athletes/celebrities/etc. Self esteem issues and too much free time.


my head just exploded.


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## juno (Jul 18, 2008)

Screw the casual fan.
The Dude had a huge motor. 
Loved watching him make the Peloton suffer and the sacrifices he made for whatever team he rode for.


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## Tschai (Jun 19, 2003)

wblas3271 said:


> The same reason people critique the accomplishments/careers of all other athletes/celebrities/etc. Self esteem issues and too much free time.


I just ran a diagnostic on my self-esteem. Two conclusions. One, it took up a lot of my free time. Two, my belief that George Hincapie is not a cycling god actually means I hate myself. I think I will go shoot myself.


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## The Weasel (Jul 20, 2006)

Alaska Mike said:


> To be honest, his wreck from the broken steerer tube gets more replays in Belgium than just about any victory, and he holds a great deal of respect in the region as a pave rider.


Besides that, I'll have to say the other lasting memory for me will be him drilling it on the Champs for Cavendish. At the time you knew he had a broken collarbone, even though he refused medical attention for it.


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## JSR (Feb 27, 2006)

weltyed said:


> ladies and gentlemen, i give you the final lap of the tour de france, 2009:
> 
> Tour de France 2009 - stage 21 (final lap of Champs-Élysées) - YouTube


A beautiful piece of riding showing how a lead-out train should work. The video alonside Cav down the stretch is thrilling, even though nobody else is in the frame. (_Especially_ because nobody else is in the frame?)

MSR that year was a bit different. Milan - San Remo 2009 - Full Highlights with English commentary - YouTube In this one we see a finish that is not well organized. Fast forward to about 1h:14m:45s. 

Hincapie, at the front with <4Km to go looks for his man. They get together, but can't stay together. As they go under the 1Km kite GH and MC are together at the front, but Cav loses the wheel. George hammers. Cav stays close. None of the favorites has any gas left. Cav follows Haussler, almost too late. It's Cav by the width of a tire.

IMHO this shows both Hincapie leadership and Cavendish ability to race for the win without a train (I say in case anyone doubts either of those assertions ).

JSR


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*3 times*

he had chances to win
2 times he was probably the strongest but found himself in a 1 against 3 (Mapei and Domo Farm Frites). This is partially because he belonged to a team that was tour centric and lacked support for the classics. 
1 time it looked like he had it and his bike failed him

I don't think he could have beaten Boonen the year he took 2nd. He seemed to lack that killer 'make the move now' mentality that wins classics. He was always very measured.

My fave moment of his was when he and Eki with Lance in tow destroyed the TdF peloton that day on the cobbles


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## Chainstay (Mar 13, 2004)

I liked him the best as part of the HTC lead-out train. He was an amazing set up guy for Renshaw-Cav and was absolutely dominant in the 2008 and 2009 tour.

He had 20 top ten finishes between Flanders, Gent-Wevelgem and Paris-Robaix, impressive but not a legacy. Winning just once would have been so much better

His important role in 9 TdF victories is amazing but support roles and road leader roles don't get you on the podium.

Great cyclists, one of my favourites. I wish he had of won a few more races


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## JSR (Feb 27, 2006)

atpjunkie said:


> My fave moment of his was when he and Eki with Lance in tow destroyed the TdF peloton that day on the cobbles


I don't know about destroying the peloton that day, but Iban Mayo was never the same again!


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## vismitananda (Jan 16, 2011)

I will definitely miss his leg veins. Honestly.


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## nacnac3 (Dec 27, 2002)

Like others have mentioned here, I think the qualities George brought to all his teams are outstanding. Its no concidence that he has been the 'personal' protector of all those TdF winners.


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

ronbo613 said:


> Since you can't spell(maybe English is not your language), you've probably done better than George by winning a few stages at the Tour, maybe a couple classics, been a good teammate to other great athletes, married a hot babe and have enough left over to criticize somebody who has actually done something, you wouldn't care to put your real name out there, would you big guy?


This is the stupidest post I've read in a week. Including most of my mine.


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## vismitananda (Jan 16, 2011)

The final test Big George will be facing before leaving the pro peloton is how he will brought Cadel into another TDF victory. 


We wish you luck Georgie.


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## Ridin'Sorra (Sep 7, 2004)

Sad to see him go. Agree with the comments about his legacy. Dang, your chances of winning a Grand Tour incremented like 600% just by having GH in your team.

Ok, not 600%, but dang, GH was THE guy you wanted to have with you if you really wanted to win.

In all fields, there is always that kind of person who is not definitively a winner, or a leader but the building stone of a leader or winner. The unsung hero whose biggest satisfaction and reward was getting the job done and looking at his leader/friends getting the glory. That guy that you know will walk through hell to keep you safe.

GH is that kind of guy. Respect to the man.


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## erj549 (Jul 26, 2008)

weltyed said:


> embedding disabled by request. ladies and gentlemen, i give you the final lap of the tour de france, 2009:
> 
> Tour de France 2009 - stage 21 (final lap of Champs-Élysées) - YouTube


That was a fantastic move by Hincapie.


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