George Hincapie

August 25, 2012

King Sits Atop the USA Pro Cycling’s Fulcrum

American Benjamin King of RadioShack-Nissan has gained the overall Point d’Appui in the USA Pro Cycling Tour at the end of Stage 5. King is 23 minutes and 31 seconds behind race leader Tejay van Garderen of BMC and 36 minutes and 53 seconds ahead of the Lanterne Rouge, Morgan Schmitt of Team Exergy.

With only two days to go in the Colorado race, King has probably the best shot of holding onto the fulcrum, but George Hincapie, riding his last professional bicycle race is only six spots off the middle. If he continues working hard to keep van Garderen in the lead, he might just slip back enough in the closing moments of the final two days to grab the Point d’Appui.

The Point d’Appui for Stage 5 was another American, Andrew Bajadali of Team Optum. Bajadali finished with the same time on the stage as winner Tyler Farrar and another 67 riders.

June 30, 2012

Preview of the 2012 Tour de France

The preview for the Point d’Appui in the 2012 Tour de France is not good, not bad, somewhere in between. The defending Point d’Appui, Markel Irizar, was left home by Radio Shack, perhaps because of his wonderful break on the first stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné. Irizar got in the break with five other riders at about the 4 kilometer mark. The peloton gave them almost too much room, but the escapees let the mob back in by fighting among themselves. Irizar, though, got a jump on the break group and stayed away until 5 kilometer mark.

Likewise, Fabio Sabatini, who won the fulcrum at the Giro d’Italia, is not at the Tour de France.

Other contenders include:

  • George Hincapie of BMC may have the best shot. He is clearly looking to ride in support of the BMC team leader, Cadel Evans, or whomever pedals forward if Evans isn’t back to his 2012 form. Hincapie finished on the cusp of both the Tour of Flanders and the Paris-Roubaix. This is his last chance to be the camel’s back.
  • Marco Marzano, riding for Lampre-ISD, is another possibility. Marzano finished in the Point d’Appui at the Dauphiné, riding with perfectly fine form.
  • Vasil Kiryienka of Movistar Team took home the Point d’Appui in the Tour de Romandie and is another possibility.
  • Robert Gesink of Rabobank is probably a long-shot, having won the Point d’Appui at Liége-Bastogne-Liége, and long-shots rarely fall to the middle, although several stages this year favor him.
April 8, 2012

Hincapie Again on Cusp at Paris-Roubaix

George Hincapie at the 2008 Tour of California, photographed by Thomas Fanghaenel. Hincapie has finished on the cusp of the point d’appui twice in 2012.

In the 2012 Paris-Roubaix, 86 riders finished the race, meaning no Point d’Appui was awarded; however, the cuspides on the day were George Hincapie, who finished 7.46 adrift, and Johan Le Bon at 7.48. Hincapie also finished on the cusp at the Tour of Flanders.

Tom Boonen of Belgium won the day for Omega Pharma-Quick Step with a time of 5:55.22.

The Lanterne Rouge went to Austrian Bernard Eisel of Sky Procycling finishing with Belgian Gert Steegmans of Omega Pharma-Quickstep, both of them 17.17 behind the leader.

April 1, 2012

Hincapie, Tankink Split Tour of Flanders

American George Hincapie of the BMC Racing Team and Netherlander Bram Tankink of the Rabobank Cycling Team finished on the cusp of the Point d’Appui in the Tour of Flanders. They finished 52nd and 53rd among the 104 riders who came home.

Hincapie and Tankink were adrift 3:26 of the winner, Tom Boonen. The last of the riders to finish, Dominique Rollin, came in at 15:34 behind Boonen.