I have been watching a fair amount of the Tour of California. I did not have time or fitness to race last year and I was pretty removed from most things cycling related. This year I am trying to make more time for it. Being a bike geek, that includes making time to watch the Tour of California.
For years I have tried to cheer for George Hincapie. He is an American, he was always second fiddle to Lance, so I felt like he needed someone to cheer for him. But as time has gone on, he continually pisses me off. I remember watching Tafi ride away with his Flanders victory while they all stared at each other wondering what just happened. Don't even get me started on Roubaix. Remember when he blistered the prologue of the Tour? 2nd to Thor. The G-Man and I talked at length about George a couple of times on boring training rides and we came to the agreement that he would be on Rock Racing with Freddie Rodriguez if it weren't for Lance. You can't continue to get close results and get a contract.
So yesterday, I see him in the break and I start cheering for either he or Christian to win. Then I watched another race slip away for him.
Stapleton has to be cheering the day he signed Cavendish. That way he is guaranteed to win something. I can't decide if George is a champ or a chump.
From the island of E'ville,
The Enmark
7 comments:
At least he won the chase group sprint on the final stage!Too bad it was for third.HAHA
Ya know, when this discussion between you and i started about George and the class of '96, i was a big supporter of Bobby Julich. yes, Julich turned out to be a bust, and Hincappie has made more cash, but whats a bigger disappointment, Julich dissapearing into the sunset? or Big George always so close, yet so far?
You guys act like Hincapie sucks! WTF is wrong with all of you? He may not win but he is always there in Pro Tour events (not Master 3/4 crits mind you). What is wrong with that? He's a tireless worker for the most accomplished riders in the world. I doubt very much that he would have problems finding a ride if he didn't know LA.
I love this part: he is always there in Pro Tour events (not Master 3/4 crits mind you).
I love how quickly we can go from debating about George to a personal attack about my lack of ability, which is well documented. Trust me, I can ride with the local bike club to get killed. I don't need to go far to get reminded.
I wanted George to win that stage of the ATOC worse than anyone. My point is, if he were a Belgian or Italian, they would have cut bait eons ago.
I will keep cheering for him, but I am sure that he will piss me off again.
Besides, I didn't say he would not get a ride, I said it would be with Rock Racing.
Where the disappointment for me comes is that he "plays it safe".
I think I would view it differently if he actually took chances instead of following wheels and letting others dictate the race. Has he EVER attacked alone or attacked out of a group of favorites?
Stijn Devolder used to get some flak for being too aggressive, but damn he is fun to watch. You watch '08 Flanders and the guy attacked all day. Granted, it may be easier as he was being a good teammate for Tomke, but boy was it fun to watch him attack.
I like George too, would love to see him win a monument. KBK is nice in the palmares. However, time is running out and it's time for him to just go for it.
George doesn't suck, his resume does. It took him 6 years to win a semi-classic, then 4 more to win his second and third. Like Enmark said, that kind of "success" for a Euro is rewarded with decent contracts on mid-level teams; not another 4 seasons on the biggest teams at seven figures per.
Meanwhile, with roughly the same physical abilities, Boonen puts up those results in his first three seasons before scoring some real results in the next four. Maybe George should fetch bottles for Tom and see up close what it takes to win the races that you're expected to win.
No one can blame big George for a broken steer tube. That one falls on the shoulders of American bicycle manufacturing.
Sorry for the "personal attack". I just get tired of hearing people rip on GH. Why shouldn't he be rewarded for putting up with Armstrong for so many years? He's a loyal teammate and that has a lot of merit in my book. You are all right though. His time is running thin.
I will agree that Devolder is great. I've not been involved in cycling very long. But, I know that when the Belgian road champ is solo going up The Muir (or whatever it is called) in front of thousands of drunk, screaming Belgians it is special. To be honest, I just think situations like those give certain riders an undeniable edge because they mean more to the individual. And therein lies a problem for someone like Hincapie. Does that victory mean as much to him as Devolder? I don't see how it could.
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