United States
29 June 1973
1.90m
79kg
1994
Motorola (1994-1996), USPS (1997-2004)
Without question George Hincapie’s 2005 season was the best he´s ever had in his 12-year professional cycling career. Not only did he make history of his own when he rode alongside Lance Armstrong on the Champs-Elysées as the only rider to compete with a team in seven winning Tour de France efforts, but he also won the hardest stage on Tour, the epic 202km Stage 15 to the Top of St Lary Soulan. And while the Tour victory was certainly a crowning achievement, it was by no means Big George´s only notable achievement in 2005.
His amazing season started off early with a cold February victory in the Belgian Classic, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. But it´s the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix that call to George, and he came oh-so-close to finally winning in 2005. Tom Boonen made a decisive move with 15km to go and only Hincapie and Juan Antonio Flecha could stay with the Belgian superstar as the trio entered the famous outdoor velodrome for a final battle. While Boonen would go on to win the day, Hincapie then showed the world just how ready he was for the Tour de France by winning both the opening prologue, individual time trial and stage seven as he and teammates Yaroslav Popovych and Lance Armstrong came first, second and third in the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré.
Following his Tour heroics in July and late in the season, Hincapie then took a surprise win at GP Plouay in France. Hincapie would go on to be named South Carolina´s “2005 Professional Athlete of the Year”, a fine honour for a truly remarkable season.
The consummate teammate, Hincapie once again excelled in the Tour in 2004, building on his career–best finish the year before and ending a near three-year victory drought by taking the overall at the Three Days of the Panne.
Following a handful of soldi early-season results, Hincapie finished a career-best fifth overall at Paris-Nice. He maintained his form to win in Belgium two weeks later. Obviously on form, Hincapie went on to place 10th at Flanders, fourth at Gent-Wevelgem and eighth at Paris-Roubaix before returning home for the Tour de Georgia. At the Dauphiné Libéré, he almost won stage five to Sisteron, edged out by Stuart O’Grady after a long two-rider breakaway. However, Hincapie brought great form to the Tour de France and once again played a key role throughout the race, particularly in the cobblestone stages, the team time trial and the mountains. He cemented his effort with an 11th place finish in the final time trial in Besançon, ending with a career-best 33rd overall.
Hincapie was slowed by illness for the first few months of the 2003 season. His career highlights include victories at Gent-Wevelgem (2001), the San Francisco Grand Prix (2001), the U.S. Pro Championship (1998), five top six finishes at Paris-Roubaix (1999-2002, 2005) and four top five finishes in his last five trips to the U.S. Pro Championship.
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4th overall, two stage wins, Amgen Tour of California
2nd, Paris-Roubaix
stage winner, Three Days of the Panne
1st overall Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne
Stage winner, Dauphiné Libéré (prologue)
1st, stage 15, Tour de France
14th overall, Tour de France
1st overall, Three Days of the Panne
4th, Gent-Wevelgem
3rd, T-Mobile International
4th, Luk Challenge
5th overall, Paris-Nice
5th, GP Eddy Merckx
8th, Paris-Roubaix
8th, Championship of Zurich
10th Tour of Flanders
33rd overall, Tour de France |
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