Today’s stage one of the Tour de France will mark a special place for Discovery Channel rider George Hincapie and all of America as he joined an elite club of only four Americans (Lemond, Armstrong, Zabriskie and now Hincapie) to ever wear the coveted yellow jersey or “maillot jaune” as it is called in France.
Just yesterday I was posting a question about George and his first opportunity in eight years to ride for himself in cycling’s biggest event the Tour de France. It is clear that George is ready to seize every opportunity he can in order to secure a top stop on the podium this year.
Today’s stage showcased Hincapie’s ability to sprint and ride with wit and smarts as he claimed third place in the last intermediate sprint of the day. The prize one point toward the green “sprinters” jersey and a valuable two second time bonus. Enough to put George in yellow with a two second lead over Thor Hushovd who cut his arm in todays sprint on a spectators Tour souvenir (more on that in another post).
My hope is that the Discovery Team will now start to focus “exclusively” on Hincapie. Going into the race the team had several riders who would gun for a high finish, however it is evident that George is riding in excellent form. Next week will be very intresting for Team Discovery Channel when they face the first time trial and two stages in the mountains.
Cheers once again George, so far so good!
~ Tour Guy
- Sports Illustrated – Hincapie Steals Yellow With A Late Dash
- New York Times – American Takes Yellow
- SignOnSanDiego – Emerging From Armstrong’s Shadow
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