George Hincapie, Lance Armstrong’s longtime lieutenant, had an illustrious career but ultimately confessed that at least part of it was fuelled by PEDs.
“I was part of the dark era of cycling; I think the sport is in such a better place now. Cyclists will never be confronted with those decisions that we were,” he said in an interview with Cycling Weekly. “They’re so focused on nutrition, technology and altitude training. In many ways, these riders have surpassed the benefits of doping through technology.”
A long career shadowed with doping
The American won two stages of the Tour de France, with victories in the TTT in 2004 and Stage 15 in 2005. He won Gent-Wevelgem in 2001 and secured podium finishes in several Classics. Hincapie played a crucial support role for Lance Armstrong in his Tour de France successes.
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In 2011, Hincapie confessed to his use of performance-enhancing drugs during his cycling career as part of the USADA investigation into Armstrong. He joined several of his former teammates in this revelation, including Armstrong and Tyler Hamilton, who also openly admitted to their doping practices.
The USA has several top riders now in the men’s and women’s WorldTour. Sepp Kuss, Matteo Jorgenson, Chloe Dygert, Brandon McNulty, and Kristen Faulkner are some of the best in the world. Hincapie believes that the current generation will inspire the next one. Kuss won the 2023 Vuelta a España, Jorgenson triumphed at the 2024 Paris-Nice, Dygert is the defending ITT world champion, and Faulkner won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
The next generation
“You always see that the better the pros do, the more it seems like younger guys get into it or get inspired. I think that’s going to really help, and we’ll see a lot more talent head over to Europe,” he said.
In terms of the next generation, there’s one very close to home—his son, Enzo, who rides for Jonathan Vaughters’ EF Education – Onto team. Enzo is also teammates with Hincapie’s former Canadian co-équipier, Michael Barry. To make things even more symmetrical, Barry’s son Ashlin also rides for EF Education – Onto.
The 51-year-old was in Bentonville, Arkansas, for another edition of his eponymous event series, the Hincapie Gran Fondo. “I think this community is really going to play a big role in it. They’re investing so much in cycling here, and they’re doing a lot to bring…
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