We are so excited about making the second Bookwalter Binge PRO Rider Announcement for the 2017 Gran Fondo. After taking one year off, George Hincapie will be Bingeing with us again on Saturday October 28, 2017.
Brent says…
After missing George at the 2016 Bookwalter Binge Gran Fondo, I’m grateful and excited that he will be once again joining us this year. My time as teammates with George is a period I consider extremely influential in making me the rider I am today. George taught me leadership skills, tactical patience and how to get a dozen water bottles from the team car while using less energy than I would have just sitting in the bunch. It’s no secret George is still a fierce competitor and strong rider, so I look forward to helping some of the younger guys put the hurt on him during the timed sections at this year’s Binge, especially that final climb up Point Lookout Trail where we finally put him on the rivet at his last appearance in 2015.
More About George
George grew up in Queens, New York, where his father Ricardo introduced him to cycling. The lanky, skinny junior quickly developed a passion for the sport and excelled, winning 10 junior national titles and two world medals prior to moving to the professional ranks and cycling’s top teams.
During his 19-year professional career Hincapie was regarded as the premier American classics rider of his generation. He competed in a record 17 Ronde van Vlaanderen races and finished second at the grueling Paris-Roubaix, the best ever for any American. Beyond the classics he rode in the Tour de France 17 times and won three US National Road Race championships.
Despite all his accomplishments, Hincapie is most remembered for his role as a valued teammate and leader to winners of cycling’s top events such as the Tour de France and Milan-San Remo. As he said while standing on the storied Champs-Élysées at the conclusion of his final Tour de France, he wants first and foremost to be remembered as a great teammate.
Since retiring from professional cycling George has taken a more active role in family business interests including Hincapie Sportswear (they made the 2017 Binge Jersey), the professional Hincapie Sportswear Development Team, Gran Fondo Hincapie and Hotel Domestique. He hopes to further share his knowledge about the sport with cycling’s future generations.
Hincapie resides with his family in Greenville, South Carolina where he can now devote more time to his hobbies: tennis, basketball, mountain biking and music.
Gran Fondo Double Header
And the week before, the Gran Fondo Hincapie is Saturday October 21Come for both! Asheville is in between, so use those 6 days to…
- Mountain bike at Pisgah National Forest, DuPont, Kitsuma, Heartbreak Ridge, REEB Ranch, or Bent Creek (or all of the above)
- Enjoy the greatest concentration of craft brews in the world on the South Slope of Asheville (too many to list!)
- Road cycling in autumn colors along the Blue Ridge Parkway
- Explore the Biltmore Estate
- Check out downtown Asheville, the Paris of the South heralded by numerous publications such as Frommer’s travel guides, Rolling Stone, Self and even Money magazine