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News: Hincapie bows out at USA Pro Challenge

BMC’s George Hincapie races final event as teammate Taylor Phinney wins time trial in USA Pro Challenge

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Hincapie put his hand in the air to acknowledge the cheers of the Denver crowd as he piloted his BMC bike across the finish line to end a 19-year professional career. The Greenville, S.C., resident who started a record 17 Tours de France and finished a record-tying 16 said he got a little emotional before rolling down the start ramp.

“It’s been a long career for me, a good career and I’m proud of it,” Hincapie said. “I’m sad to leave, but at the same time, I’m excited to spend more time with my family and start a new life.” Hincapie was quick to add he won’t stay away from the sport too long. “I’m going mountain biking with a buddy of mine on Tuesday,” he said.

George Hincapie. Photo: PhotoSport International. uk usa asia.

Taylor Phinney meanwhile won his second individual time trial of the season for the BMC Racing Team while teammate Tejay van Garderen placed third Sunday to finish as overall runner-up at the USA Pro Challenge. Phinney averaged nearly 53 kilometers an hour on the 15.3 km course on the way to adding another time trial win to the one he scored on Stage 1 at the Giro d’Italia in May.

“I didn’t have a specific time in mind and I didn’t have a radio,” Phinney said. “I just went out there and gave it everything I had. I felt like I was going fast. I saved enough up for the last three kilometers and absolutely buried myself.” Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Sharp) finished second, 10 seconds slower than Phinney, to earn the overall win. Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), who took the race leader’s yellow jersey off van Garderen’s shoulders on Saturday, finished ninth and dropped to third overall.

Taylor Phinney. Photo: PhotoSport International. uk usa asia.

Phinney said he had been targeting the stage all week while working in service of van Garderen, who led the race after Stages 2, 4 and 5 and finished third here a year ago. “Going for the win today was a big carrot for me that I was chasing,” the former U.S. national time trial champion said. “So it was good motivation to come here. This was my home race. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

Phinney’s victory came on the same day that teammate Philippe Gilbert won Stage 9 of the Vuelta a España. It is the second time in three weeks that the BMC Racing Team has won two races in one day and was the team’s seventh victory this month. Alessandro Ballan won Stage 7 of the Eneco Tour of Benelux on Aug. 12, hours before Johann Tschopp earned the overall title at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah.

A young rider who made his mark in the Tour de France however, Tejay Van Garderen, who was a fourth-place finisher in two of the Tour de France’s three time trials last month and runner-up at the U.S. national time trial championships in May, said he didn’t think 21 seconds was too big of a deficit to make up on Leipheimer.

As it turned out, Garmin’s Vande Velde proved best of the three, nine seconds faster than van Garderen and 33 seconds faster than Leipheimer. “I wasn’t ready to lose this race,” the Boulder, Colo., resident said. “I was convinced I was going to win. Even being down on time, I thought, ‘I got this.’ I felt super confident and really wanted to win. The team worked hard for me. It was my hometown race, my family was here and it was George Hincapie’s last race. I wanted to give him a victory.”

Overall winner Van de Velde clinched victory in the time trial. Photo: PhotoSport International. uk usa asia.

The race victory however wasn’t to be for Levi Leipheimer of Omega Pharma – Quick-Step. The defending USA Pro Challenge champion, he left the start house ready to protect his GC lead in his yellow skinsuit for the final 15.3km ITT on Sunday. Leipheimer came into the stage leading Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Sharp) by 9″, and Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing Team) by 21″. It would take monster performances from both riders to take the jersey off his back.

Both riders had such performances on Sunday. Vande Velde finished 2nd in the stage, just 10″ back from stage winner Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing Team). Tejay van Garderen finished 19″ back in 3rd. Leipheimer, who gave it his all, finished 9th (+43″). The performance of Vande Velde was enough to win the overall at USA Pro Challenge, and van Garderen 2nd. Leipheimer maintained a place on the podium, finishing 3rd overall.

“I actually felt good and my legs were good,” Leipheimer said after the race. “I dropped my chain there on the corner and had a moment of panic. I thought it had come off for sure, maybe jammed. But it miraculously came back on. I don’t think I lost much time there.”

Last years overall winner Levi Leipheimer failed to hold onto the Yellow in the time trial. Photo: PhotoSport International. uk usa asia.

“I got down to a really good climbing weight for this race, but when it comes to a 15 kilometers flat race out on city streets, with a lot of corners, I just don’t have it compared to going up Flagstaff. But it is what it is. I gave it my all to stand on the podium.”

“Yesterday I wore my heart on my sleeve those last 3 and a half kilometers. I pushed myself pretty hard, I was actually out of breath for 10 minutes. It was the result of the crowd, the positive energy of people who love this sport. They spent hours on the roadside to watch us come by for one second.”

“It’s hard to describe what it’s like to fly up that climb on Flagstaff with thousands of people there. Every moment you are pedaling, people are just erupting next to you. This race was fantastic. I love this sport. This is why I do it. I can’t get enough of it. I’m happy to be on the podium. It is hard when you have the number one on your jersey. I’m proud of this result.”

 

 

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