George Hincapie: Greenville Cycling Classic ‘breeding floor for getting children into sport’

It’s Grand Tour season on the earth of biking as May brings the Giro d’Italia and La Vuelta Femenina, however it’s at all times Grand Tour time in Greenville, South Carolina. A trio of former street professionals – George Hincapie, Bobby Julich and Christian Vande Velde – all name the small southern metropolis dwelling, and the neighborhood tags them as Grand Tour Legends, with the riders accounting for 59 appearances throughout the Giro, Tour de France and Vuelta a España.

They by no means rode collectively on the identical commerce staff on the similar time, every amassing their very own palmares throughout European racing and the Olympic Games. They additionally have been a part of a era of professional cyclists embroiled in admissions of getting used banned substances sooner or later of their careers. They have moved on to profitable careers in teaching, broadcasting and entrepreneurship.

All nonetheless keep near racing and this spring introduced a contemporary alternative for the trio to provide again to the area people with assist for the inaugural Greenville Cycling Classic, taking part in themselves as ‘legends’ to encourage younger folks to experience, and race, bicycles.

“The essential factor is having occasions like this, massive neighborhood occasions the place lots of people present up downtown. It will get the youngsters motivated. Any little one that is right here tonight is watching and doubtless saying ‘that appears fairly cool, I need to strive that’,” Hincapie, a 14-time Tour de France competitor, informed Cyclingnews. “I feel occasions like this are the breeding floor for getting children into the game.” 

The Greenville Cycling Classic took form simply six month in the past and have become the lead-off occasion for the 2024 USA Speed Week race sequence – eight occasions in 11 days throughout three southern US states. It had been 20 years since a grassroots effort had been made to placed on a criterium, other than US Pro Road Championships for a couple of years, and Hincapie knew it was time to re-energise the neighborhood.

“The crit is like the muse of biking for Americans. I grew up racing crits. When you get proficient children who’re good at crits, they’ll progress into different issues. Obviously, the top sport is street racing in Europe. But it is a nice solution to begin,” he mentioned. 

The trio of legends are all residents of Greenville – Vande Velde and Julich relocating eight years in the past – and are related to the EF Education-ONTO growth staff – Vande Velde as a board member, Julich as a ‘cheerleader’ and Hincapie by means of his household attire enterprise because the attire sponsor, and his son, Enzo, a member of the staff. 

“I first got here to Greenville for the National Championships in 2007 and little did I do know that in 2016 I’d grow to be a resident of this wonderful city,” mentioned Julich, who was third on GC on the 1998 Tour de France. 

“George, Christian and myself, we attempt to experience our bikes 5, six days per week. And these children are seeing us try this. They’ve heard the tales of what we have achieved, they usually have a reference level. There’s lots of people right here who’ve raced bikes. So right here in Greenville, it’s not simply the three of us.”

He talked about how the EF Education-ONTO growth staff, now in its tenth yr, has offered a method for younger riders to find out about street racing. There are additionally alternatives for brand new riders with the Supra Cycling Club, which has greater than 150 members. 

“Cycling is just not simple, and also you undergo. And whenever you’re younger and you do not know why you are doing it, it would not make sense. Down right here with EF [devo team], what they’ve created, there’s a whole lot of publicity. [The young riders] are watching the present professionals achieve success. They have a reference level from us retired professionals, they usually’re simply doing their factor and having enjoyable collectively. That is the important thing to success. You need to experience with children your age.”

Aspirations

Vande Velde agreed that the junior riders have been greatest served by having races with their friends. He can also be a board member at ONTO, staff director Rusty Miller confirming the previous professional introduced “a universe of expertise” to the staff and that he “cared deeply about our younger folks’s journeys”, whether or not the trail led to a professional biking profession or one thing else. 

“The Greenville Cycling Classic is unbelievable to have in our yard for expertise growth,” Vande Velde informed Cyclingnews. “Everyone wants a mentor to start out. Join a membership or become involved with a core group the place you’ll obtain steering. These days there are a lot of completely different avenues above and past racing.”

The 10-time Tour de France veteran, who had a profession greatest fourth-place general within the 2008 Tour, mentioned there’s a lot know-how out there that riders can educate themselves fairly a bit with the metrics which might be required to carry out at a excessive stage. But Vande Velde added that the primary solution to get younger folks curious about racing as a profession is to “race your bike and show your self towards others”.  

“That is why races just like the Greenville Cycling Classic are instrumental in persevering with the expansion of distinguished US racers like we’re seeing at this time in Europe. And not just for the Enzo’s however for the younger children who obtained to experience/race across the course with their dad and mom after which in flip see riders like Enzo and Gray [Barnett], from their neighborhood, carry out at a excessive stage and aspire to be like them.”

Before the professional races took centre stage, cyclists of all ages and skills participated within the Tour de France Legends experience, a free 20-minute session led by the legends themselves, casually clad in avenue garments. Vande Velde and Julich rode electrical bike share two-wheelers and Hincapie took to his mountain bike. 

One native leisure bicycle owner mentioned the legends experience not solely gave him and his household a solution to scout out the one-kilometre, six-turn route to search out a great place to observe the professionals race later, and see crashes, however it impressed him so as to add racing to his bucket checklist.

“I began within the very again and as I labored my method from the again to the entrance, the ages of the folks obtained decrease and decrease. In the again you had older folks, some on foldable bikes, and doubtless not snug using in a bunch. About mid-pack. I observed have been folks my age or youthful [20s to 40s]. Then on the entrance the place George was, it was very noticeable – it was all children. They have been making an attempt to maintain up with George,” Greenville resident Alex Dresko informed Cyclingnews.

“Bobby and Christian have been on the electrical bikes, which was hilarious, however I watched all of them work together with folks. George was speaking to all the youngsters.

“I rode 9 or 10 laps. It was a possibility to experience in a bunch of individuals to expertise a crit monitor. I’m not super-fast however It gave me confidence to do a cat 5 race.”