U.S. cyclist goes the distance

BEIJING — George Hincapie never expected to be competing here, living in another athletes' village, collecting another round of pins, riding in his fifth Olympics.

Teammates call him Grandpa now.

During an interview Wednesday, Hincapie leaned forward, revealing a body covered in scrapes and scars. They tell the story of a cycling career that went longer than anyone expected, even Grandpa himself — 15 professional seasons, 13 Tour de France races, a U.S.-record five Olympics and counting.

"When I first turned pro, I thought I would do 10 years, and that would be an awesome career," the 35-year-old Hincapie said. "And here I am, 15 years later. I never imagined going that long. No way."

Hincapie first rode in the Olympics in 1992 in Barcelona. He was just a kid then, still not a professional. He collected pins from athletes in different sports, from different countries. He kept his credential, same as the four that followed.

Sixteen years and four Olympic Games later, Hincapie will ride in a road race Saturday that finishes at the Great Wall. For a cyclist ranked among the greatest in U.S. history, for the man who paved the way for all seven of Lance Armstrong's Tour de France victories, the Wall seems like a fitting Olympic ending.

"When you think about it, that's crazy," said fellow rider Christian Vande Velde. "Like, wow, five Olympics, are you serious? That's a massive span for anyone, let alone a cyclist."

At 32, Vande Velde has been riding almost as long as Hincapie, but he can still recall reading about his future teammate in cycling magazines while growing up in Illinois. When Vande Velde first started training with Hincapie and Armstrong, he was 21, a new pro, definitely intimidated.

"In some ways, I almost looked up more to George," Vande Velde said. "He was so steady. He put me at ease, like a neighbor, like someone you've known your whole life."

Many cyclists describe Hincapie as steady. Some even joke that there are three certainties in the cycling world — the Tour de France, drug scandals and George Hincapie on a bike.

He raced with Armstrong for seven Tour victories, and rode for the winning team again in 2007 after Armstrong had retired. Over the years, he watched other cyclists lose their motivation, ride off into the sunset. Yet his fire never extinguished, his motivation never cooled.

Born in Queens, N.Y., Hincapie wanted to ride in the Olympics the first time he pedalled a bike. He calls having done that more times than any other American cyclist "an honor," and one that compares more favorably to the Tour than cycling fans might expect.

While the Olympics cannot match the Tour in terms of duration, or pure physical exhaustion, Hincapie feels something deeper riding for country instead of company.

"It doesn't compare to the Tour de France in terms of suffering," he said. "But it's still very important. To go to an Olympic Games and represent your country is in a way bigger than going to the Tour de France."

Those are the moments Hincapie will remember as his career winds down, as he works more on his clothing company, Hincapie Sportswear, and the sports management company, H30, he recently started with two other partners, their goal being to increase the profitability of cycling and other sports.

Hincapie finds himself taking more pictures now, collecting more mementos, thinking back more often on his career. And still, sometimes he feels like that kid who raced in Barcelona, all wide-eyed and bursting with excitement.

Then, he was a cyclist who wanted to represent his country. Now, he has done so more than anyone else in U.S. history. And on Saturday, for quite likely his last Olympic race, Grandpa will ride again.