George Hincapie’s (Team Columbia - Highroad) career on the cobbles is the veritable "mystery, wrapped in a riddle, inside an enigma."
He has won Ghent – Wevelgem and Kuurne – Brussels – Kuurne, and found the podium at the Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix. He is highly regarded amongst the crazed Belgian multitude, and is easily considered "America’s premier Classics rider."
But despite all of his accolades, Hincapie is largely viewed as a tragic figure in cycling. In his attempts to capture the brass rings of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, two of cycling’s five monuments, he has suffered countless mishaps, including untimely flats, dropped chains, a broken steerer, and even the ignominy of a teammate’s attack.
On Easter Sunday, George Hincapie will once again take to the start line at Paris – Roubaix and attempt to exorcise his cobbled demons. A victory by Hincapie would certainly be momentous, but it could hardly be thought of as miraculous. A few years back no one would have thought the sprinter/classics rider a climber, but now he has a Tour de France mountain-top stage win to his credit.
His age notwithstanding, the 35-year old's chances for victory have barely diminished over time, with some even tipping him as the favorite this year. In the end, perhaps its easier for us to question whether the transplanted New Yorker has allowed his own "Doubting Thomas" to believe, or to wonder whether the cycling gods will ever look down favorably on him during the Queen of the Classics, rather than to take his vast and varied accomplishments at face value.
More: NYT - Hincapie Again Takes on the Cobblestones
And in case you were wondering, Big George is well aware of all the white noise as evidenced from the trailer of "A Ride With George Hincapie."
Photo: Leonard Basobas
Can't think of a fellow who deserves it more but has less of a chance.
ReplyDeleteToo bad. Still, a fine career to be proud of.