Enzo Hincapie is one of the youngest riders on the EF Education-ONTO development team, and doesn’t turn 16 to qualify for his driver’s licence until June 20. But who needs four wheels? The middle child of former WorldTour rider George HIncapie and wife Melanie, Enzo Hincapie is the one who has adopted two wheels to experience “high speeds, travelling and suffering”.
There’s a special nucleus of the cycling world in the Upstate of South Carolina, nestled on the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where Enzo Hincapie has been enveloped by the family’s bicycle-related enterprises, Hotel Domestique, a 13-room luxury hotel, and Hincapie Sportswear, manufacturer of cycling apparel, as well as roots in racing.
He already has six medals, three of them gold, from road national championships as a junior, his team director Rusty Miller describing him as “an astonishing young talent”. He won national titles in both the criterium and road race in 2022, then followed at the 15-16 age category last year with the win in the road race and a silver in the time trial.
That talent is being polished and shaped not just by Miller, but influenced by a small universe of family friends, who were stars on road bikes themselves: Olympic silver medalist Bobby Julich and fourth-place GC finisher in the 2012 Tour de France Christian Vande Velde were teammates for Team CSC (2005-2007). They also shared time on trade teams with George Hincapie earlier in their careers – Julich at Motorola from 1995-1996 and Vande Velde at US Postal from 1999-2003 – and now everyone calls Greenville home.
The trio can sometimes be seen cheering for the younger Hincapie at races. This year’s EF Education-ONTO team starts the 2024 season at the Valley of the Sun stage race this week, but Hincapie will not get a start as he recovers from a recent illness. “He’s going to rest, reset, and then take things week by week,” said Miller.
Before racing ramps up for Enzo Hincapie, he shared stories with Cyclingnews about learning to love his bicycle without training wheels, riding near Paris Mountain, his goal to defend the US Men’s Junior (15-16) road race national title and more.
Cyclingnews: Do you remember your very first ride on a bicycle?
Enzo Hincapie: Yes, I remember my first ride without training wheels. It didn’t end too well, haha. In the first five minutes I went over the bars and knocked out my two front teeth. My parents had to encourage me for the longest time to…
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