George Hincapie aims to reinvigorate cycling in the US with his Greenville-based elite team
When cyclist George Hincapie hit the pro circuit in the mid-1990s, it was a lot easier to find an elite race nearby.
There was the Philadelphia International Championship, where Hincapie reached the top 10 in 1995; the Reading Classic, which he won in 1999 and 2000; the Lancaster Classic, where he often finished in the top five; the San Francisco Grand Prix that he won in 2001; and the Tour of Missouri, where he placed first in 2007. There was also the Tour DuPont in the mid-Atlantic states; the First Union Cycling Series; and the West Virginia K-Mart Classic—which showcased a rising talent named Lance Armstrong. All now defunct.
“At one point in my career,” Hincapie says, “I could spend months at a time racing in the US.”
The USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships (which Hincapie won three times) is still around, but overall, road racing stateside has declined significantly as attention has turned to the other side of the Atlantic.
“The Tour de France and the classic races, those will never go away,” says Hincapie, who raced in Le Tour 17 times, usually as a key domestique for Armstrong on the U.S. Postal Service-Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team (also now defunct). “But it was always nice as an American to do those races in Europe and be able to come back and race on my home turf.”
Hincapie’s goals for Modern Adventure Pro Cycling
Thus inspired, Hincapie wants Modern Adventure Pro Cycling, the elite squad he founded with his brother, Rich, in 2025, to not only “reinvigorate the sport of cycling in the US” but also get to the biggest races in the world.
The roster, announced this January, includes 21 riders from six nations, but at its heart, Modern Adventure Pro Cycling will be a “100 percent American team,” according to Hincapie. Going forward, at least half of the riders will be registered in the US.
The headquarters of what the founders envision as “America’s Team” will be in Greenville, the site of Hincapie’s 2006 USA Cycling Championship and the place he’s called home since 2000. “Greenville is a big part of the team,” Hincapie says. “I’ve always said it was a world-class cycling destination. It almost doesn’t get any better than that in the United States to ride a bike.”
At a team camp last December, based at the Hincapies’ Hotel Domestique in Travelers Rest, South Carolina, there were a handful of rides up in the mountains to Saluda or Caesars Head, but the focus was more on team orientation and equipment fitting. Strenuous training began this January in Girona, Spain.
Modern Adventure Pro Cycling began competing in the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) ProSeries this year with an invitation to the five-stage AlUla Tour in Saudi Arabia in late January, and intentions to advance to the first-tier UCI World Tour and ride in the Tour de France by 2032.
Although a return to the podium would certainly be welcome, for now Hincapie hopes the story of Modern Adventure Pro Cycling will inspire the next generation of elite cyclists.
“I know we’re going to get our asses kicked in many races, but it’s part of the story, and it’s going to be always a part of our brand,” he says. “We started as a new team with relatively unknown riders, and our hope is that we are able to grow as a team to become world-class riders.”
Seasoned Pros and Rising Stars
With some of the biggest names in road racing attached, the launch of Modern Adventure Pro Cycling generated a huge buzz in cycling circles. The roster, a mix of veterans and newcomers, includes:
- Robin Carpenter (USA)
- Scott McGill (USA)
- Tyler Stites (USA)
- Cole Kessler (USA)
- Leo Hayter (GBR)
- Lucas Towers (GBR)
- Riley Pickrell (CAN)
- Stefan De Bod (RSA)
- Paul Wright (NZ)
Besides Hincapie, the team’s directors include:
- Bobby Julich, Olympic medalist and Tour de France podium finisher
- Alex Howes, 2019 USA Cycling Pro Road National Champion
- Tyler Magner, with more than 100 podium finishes
- Joey Rosskopf, three-time USA Cycling National Champion (time trials and road race)
