The Tour de France is over and we have to wait another year for the return of its beauty. However, next year one of its greatest riders will be missing from the peloton. After a record setting 17 Tours (that’s completing them), George Hincapie will be retiring from professional cycling. He is indeed a legend. To pay tribute to this great American cyclist, I thought it was only appropriate to re-share a story I did featuring him in last years US Pro Cycling Challenge.
How To Win A Bike Race In 5 Easy Steps (featuring George Hincapie)
1) Sign Autographs – This will quickly fill your karmic tank. If for some reason your fitness fails you, karma will surely propel you to victory.
2) Strategize with a former Giro d’ Italia Winners – This is key. Victory is no accident so a fool proof plan is absolutely necessary.
3) Pimp Your Victory – I appreciate the fact that George went old school here with a classic 2 handed victory salute. In this modern era of cycling, with the ‘rock the babies’, the ‘archer’, the ‘pistol’, we have lost touch with our roots. It was refreshing to see that George kept it real.
4) Celebrate With Your Entourage – George continued to keep it real with a timeless ‘high five’.
5) Claim Your Prize – To the victor goes the spoils. It is important to take your time here. You don’t complete steps 1-4 and then sluff on step 5. This is your podium, enjoy it! I would have liked to have seen George drop a subtle wink on the crowd, but he decided to keep it simple. That is fine with me. Even though I just told you this is your podium, you don’t want to ‘raise the roof’ here. Treat it with the same respect George did.
Well done George, we will all miss you!
Those are great pics! It was nice to see George in the front of the peloton yesterday as they rolled into Paris.
I’m going to miss George. Seems like an end of an era.