Professional Cycling For the Fans - George Hincapie to team Radio Shack

I was just reading this article and saw that Hincapie has decided to got to TRS. Is this true?
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/cycling/article6800521.ece

something about his interview at the end of the TDF made me think he would be on the team. gonna be awesome

Well TRS-80 apparently is the retirement community for pro riders so it only fits he'd go there.

TRS-80.....ouch

only thing worse would be a TI-99/4 another "Texan" computer....

im lost on the TRS-80 comment but im not gonna claim to know what it means. i know that a TRS-80 is a old computer and a truing stand. but dont know about a retirement community. im guessing your saying that TRS is a bunch of old farts. if im wrong correct me please.

Well TRS-80 apparently is the retirement community for pro riders so it only fits he'd go there.

There is always one out there...........................................:rolleyes:

well anyway if thats what you meant. Then my only response is Hincapie is still a beast.

TRS really needs some younger rides, now that they've secured LA's old guard.

Lance Armstrong
Levi Leipheimer
George Hincaipe
Andreas Kloden

Makes for quite a formidable GT squad. Now, if there are some young guns...

only thing worse would be a TI-99/4 another "Texan" computer....

Hey, I had one of those!

Munchman was better than PacMan, so there!

As for the retirement community... You might be surprised by these old geezers doing well then, I suppose?

Lance Armstrong
Levi Leipheimer
George Hincaipe
Andreas Kloden


Average age: 35.5 :eek:

IMHO not a serious overall winner contender in the group.

Average age: 35.5 :eek:

IMHO not a serious overall winner contender in the group.

in your opinion. i respect that opinion. all i have to say in response to that is, they are all over 35 but all of them are still very tough. Kloden is very tough, Levi is tough too, armstrong got 3rd in the TDF, and Hincapie can drive a columbia train like nobodies business.
Chris Horner will be on the team i imagine and he is a beast on the front too.
i would love to see Gregory Rast on TRS, he was the unsung hero in this years TDF....again IMHO.

Echoing Hopsing08, going back a mere month, if Leipheimer hadn't injured himself there would have been 3 of those 4 guys in the top six of the GC. That would be 3 ahead of almost 180 of some of the best cyclists on the planet. None of those 3 would have been out of the top 10. Sorry they're not all young, but it doesn't mean they don't have a contribution. It doesn't mean they have no place in the race. You're invalidating them because they're older and yet these guys were racing better than almost anyone. Heck, Kloden and Armstrong might not have been the best, but hey! I think they did okay for a couple of geezers eager to be thrown in a coffin, buried, and forgotten.

Anyone that thinks TRS will not be in contention is out of their mind. JB and LA have the play book and the know how to put together the winning formula. The 4 listed above are good friends and know how to work together. If there is a TTT you can bet TRS will be at the top. Throw in some young blood and you have a very strong team. I'm excited to see what the old guys can do.

Chris Horner will be on the team i imagine and he is a beast on the front too.
i would love to see Gregory Rast on TRS, he was the unsung hero in this years TDF....again IMHO.

I agree that Horner would contribute well, but I think he's hoping for more money than TRS wants to pay him, and that might be the stumbling block. Sure seems like it by the interviews. TRS wants him, but he's keeping his options open because he feels they don't value him as highly as he thinks they should (I read that to mean money). I think if he had won last week instead of coming in second he would have helped his chances much more. I'm betting he'll still sign with TRS. His bargaining power isn't that great at the moment.

I wish I could agree with you on Rast, but I saw too little of him to come to the same conclusion. Albeit, I was listening to Versus commentators perhaps too much and missed some of his pulls, but other than a few times, it seemed like he wasn't seen/heard from much.

Right then,

Lance Armstrong
Levi Leipheimer
George Hincaipe
Andreas Kloden
Gregory Rast
Chris Horner

And 3 young ones I guess.

I agree that Horner would contribute well, but I think he's hoping for more money than TRS wants to pay him, and that might be the stumbling block. Sure seems like it by the interviews. TRS wants him, but he's keeping his options open because he feels they don't value him as highly as he thinks they should (I read that to mean money). I think if he had won last week instead of coming in second he would have helped his chances much more. I'm betting he'll still sign with TRS. His bargaining power isn't that great at the moment.

I wish I could agree with you on Rast, but I saw too little of him to come to the same conclusion. Albeit, I was listening to Versus commentators perhaps too much and missed some of his pulls, but other than a few times, it seemed like he wasn't seen/heard from much.

Think he did a lot in the TTT, and gave his all before dropping out in the final acceleration.

I wish I could agree with you on Rast, but I saw too little of him to come to the same conclusion. Albeit, I was listening to Versus commentators perhaps too much and missed some of his pulls, but other than a few times, it seemed like he wasn't seen/heard from much.

yeah you had to pay attention but he was up there pounding the pedals. i notice all the tempo guys cause those are my heros. my goal is to be 180 and the guy that "softening" up legs on the local climbs, lol. I dont care about being first up the mountain i just want to be the guy out there that puts a real hurting on everyone.

http://www.freewebs.com/footballthoughts/bug.jpg

Hincapie. Lance's sidekick - To be on Lance's team. Not a surprise. For Hincapie it' s probably been a strange ride separate his mentor.. So the Two Musketeers unite..
.. 1 . Is Hincapie older than Lance.?.. 2. Been wondering what a Radio Shack jersey will look like. I expect something funky.. Maybe an electronic multitester will grace their kit.....? Do they come in red, white and blue.

And Horner is 37. I'm curious as to why age affects all riders except this teams'. There's a good reason only one rider over 35 has ever won the TDF. Unfortunately it being an American team with American riders blinds some to reality.

No one really believes these guys can compete against the Schlecks, Wiggins and Contadors of the peloton for the overall yellow, do they? There are a couple riders still capable of a top 5 finish.

And Horner is 37. I'm curious as to why age affects all riders except this teams'. There's a good reason only one rider over 35 has ever won the TDF. Unfortunately it being an American team with American riders blinds some to reality.

No one really believes these guys can compete against the Schlecks, Wiggins and Contadors of the peloton for the overall yellow, do they? There are a couple riders still capable of a top 5 finish.

i believe that the schlecks are the only real scare here. as far as Contador, its very tough to say. it depends on the team he goes to, if he goes to Caisse d'Epargne it would be too tough for him to hang with the shlecks or americans and i would go out on a limb and say he would be like Carlos Sastre next year. if he goes to a better team, then he would be in contention.
as for the Americans, i think all the tempo riders they will have will kill anyones hopes. just like Astana did this year.
And i will say that Lance will be in even better shape next year. its hard to count him out...for me.
but i guess it is a matter of opinion cause i wouldnt be able to convince you of Lances chances when Lance Hater is under your name. to each his own and we will see next year.

"Lance Hater" is a bit sardonic. He should be in better shape, barring any triatholon, cross country skiing or basketball injuries. He will also be a year older.

Echoing Hopsing08, going back a mere month, if Leipheimer hadn't injured himself there would have been 3 of those 4 guys in the top six of the GC. That would be 3 ahead of almost 180 of some of the best cyclists on the planet. None of those 3 would have been out of the top 10. Sorry they're not all young, but it doesn't mean they don't have a contribution. It doesn't mean they have no place in the race. You're invalidating them because they're older and yet these guys were racing better than almost anyone. Heck, Kloden and Armstrong might not have been the best, but hey! I think they did okay for a couple of geezers eager to be thrown in a coffin, buried, and forgotten.

That could be their motto - "We're old, but we can still come in 3rd, 5th, and 6th!"

Think he did a lot in the TTT, and gave his all before dropping out in the final acceleration.

If he did, it was quite early on. Muravyev was first off, and Rast was also off at about the halfway mark. Rast is a solid contributor in a GT, but not because of his TTT prowess.

i believe that the schlecks are the only real scare here. as far as Contador, its very tough to say. it depends on the team he goes to, if he goes to Caisse d'Epargne it would be too tough for him to hang with the shlecks or americans and i would go out on a limb and say he would be like Carlos Sastre next year. if he goes to a better team, then he would be in contention.
as for the Americans, i think all the tempo riders they will have will kill anyones hopes. just like Astana did this year.
And i will say that Lance will be in even better shape next year. its hard to count him out...for me.
but i guess it is a matter of opinion cause i wouldnt be able to convince you of Lances chances when Lance Hater is under your name. to each his own and we will see next year.

Caisse d'Epargne is a much better time-trialing team than Cervelo. Contador is a much more consistent and stronger rider than Carlos. You're definitely out on a limb, and looking towards the trunk as you're sawing off the branch you're sitting on. :p

No one really believes these guys can compete against the Schlecks, Wiggins and Contadors of the peloton for the overall yellow, do they?

Funny. Amstrong did beat Frank Schleck and Wiggins and was within a minute and a half of Andy after 180 hours in the saddle. If Leipheimer hasn't broken his wrist he would likely have beaten Frank and possibly Wiggins. Kloden beat Frank and was very close to Wiggins. Against Contador? Perhaps not, but against all others, they have a very good chance.

That could be their motto - "We're old, but we can still come in 3rd, 5th, and 6th!"

Out of 180 riders, that's not so bad.

You guys do realize that these days Levi only wins the ToC, right? I am amazed at how many people are on the "if only Levi had not been hurt" bandwagon.

And I LIKE Levi!

My heart wishes Levi would have been right up in the top 5 if he hadn't gotten hurt, but my head says he would have been 9th or 10th.

You guys do realize that these days Levi only wins the ToC, right? I am amazed at how many people are on the "if only Levi had not been hurt" bandwagon.

And I LIKE Levi!

Agreed. He's never to me shown that he is a overall winner of a GT. He seems to lack that certain 1% of something that riders need to end up on the top step. Levi, due to his age and "that certain something" is not in the same league now as the Schlecks and will only fall further as he gets older. Frank is in his prime GT years and Andy hasn't even reached it yet.

Bad news for Cavendish.

"Lance Hater" is a bit sardonic. He should be in better shape, barring any triatholon, cross country skiing or basketball injuries. He will also be a year older.

sardonic is a good word... off topic a little but im praying he does an Ironman.

Caisse d'Epargne is a much better time-trialing team than Cervelo. Contador is a much more consistent and stronger rider than Carlos. You're definitely out on a limb, and looking towards the trunk as you're sawing off the branch you're sitting on. :p

i dont think im very far off. the tour is won in the mountains...where was Caisse d'Epargneare in the mountains? sure AC could have an amazing TT and TTT, but so will TRS, and your crazy if you think Andy wont come back with some TT skills.
everyone will be attacking the hell out of AC to make sure he isnt a factor and this time, "IF" he is on Caisse d'Epargneare, he will not have anything close to a team to defend his victory much less a Yellow Jersey.
plus the biggest factor in this whole equation is Johan Bruyneel, he is the master behind Astana, US Postal/Discovery being the best teams in cycling history(revised in a later post). without Johan and without anyone to back him up he will not win.
as for Contador being a better rider, very true. i said Carlos because he was on a strong team that did alot of work, then he went to a team that had nobody to ride tempo and get him to the front.

You guys do realize that these days Levi only wins the ToC, right? I am amazed at how many people are on the "if only Levi had not been hurt" bandwagon.

And I LIKE Levi!

oh very much. he would not have won. but if you have a top ten guy who is an excellent cyclist setting tempo for you, its a very good weapon.
everyone is looking at these guys separately...thats not the point, contador would kill them all separately. but as a TEAM they would be too strong.

i dont think im very far off. the tour is won in the mountains...where was Caisse d'Epargneare in the mountains? sure AC could have an amazing TT and TTT, but so will TRS, and your crazy if you think Andy wont come back with some TT skills.
everyone will be attacking the hell out of AC to make sure he isnt a factor and this time, "IF" he is on Caisse d'Epargneare, he will not have anything close to a team to defend his victory much less a Yellow Jersey.
plus the biggest factor in this whole equation is Johan Bruyneel, he is the master behind Astana, US Postal/Discovery being the best teams in cycling history. without Johan and without anyone to back him up he will not win.
as for Contador being a better rider, very true. i said Carlos because he was on a strong team that did alot of work, then he went to a team that had nobody to ride tempo and get him to the front.

Who is there that can attack AC in the mountians? Doesn't matter how many guys attack if AC can just counter and then ride on past them. Andy and who else? AC wins if there are attacks in the mountians. Only danger I see is an early as in well before the last climb with Frank in it. Anything else and AC, Frank and Andy would combine efforts to puill back if needed.

plus the biggest factor in this whole equation is Johan Bruyneel, he is the master behind Astana, US Postal/Discovery being the best teams in cycling history.


What do you think the number 2 and 3 teams were? And how did you come to this conclusion?

Who is there that can attack AC in the mountians? Doesn't matter how many guys attack if AC can just counter and then ride on past them. Andy and who else? AC wins if there are attacks in the mountians. Only danger I see is an early as in well before the last climb with Frank in it. Anything else and AC, Frank and Andy would combine efforts to puill back if needed.

well "if" AC has the team i posted...then anyone and everyone will attack him. you act like he won the TDFsingle-handed. gimme a break.

plus the biggest factor in this whole equation is Johan Bruyneel, he is the master behind Astana, US Postal/Discovery being the best teams in cycling history.


What do you think the number 2 and 3 teams were? And how did you come to this conclusion?

what year? this year it was garmin and saxo bank...looking at the standings.
Caisse d'Epargne was 11th. if AC goes to Garmin or saxo bank then everything i said goes out the window.

...

With modern training and nutrition you can be "player" much longer. You can moniter your recovery, peaks and time them much better as you can focus on the races you want to contend in. Age is not as important from a physical stand point as it used to be but you still have the mental stamina to compete at older ages.

what year? this year it was garmin and saxo bank...looking at the standings.
Caisse d'Epargne was 11th. if AC goes to Garmin or saxo bank then everything i said goes out the window.

...

You suggested Bruyneel's teams are/were the best ever. I wanted to know how you came to that conclusion. Asking you to provide names of the next best teams in cycling history gives me a better idea of your thought process.

With modern training and nutrition you can be "player" much longer. You can moniter your recovery, peaks and time them much better as you can focus on the races you want to contend in. Age is not as important from a physical stand point as it used to be but you still have the mental stamina to compete at older ages.

Not and win the TdF, you can't. If you're talking about coming in 3rd, ok, I'll agree, but if you are suggesting that the guys in their late 30s can actually win, where is your evidence?

Not and win the TdF, you can't. If you're talking about coming in 3rd, ok, I'll agree, but if you are suggesting that the guys in their late 30s can actually win, where is your evidence?

There is no history to suggest an older rider can win. But that doesn't mean they should quit or not try to win. To write them off because no one has done it before is wrong. Maybe you don't want to bet the farm on it happening, but it's not impossible. I would bet a few of those older riders feel they still have a chance to win. I would say there are a bunch of pro riders that would love to finish in the top 10 of a grand tour just once. I find it funny how people here are so critical about an accomplishment very few ever achieve.

plus the biggest factor in this whole equation is Johan Bruyneel, he is the master behind Astana, US Postal/Discovery being the best teams in cycling history.


What do you think the number 2 and 3 teams were? And how did you come to this conclusion?

I'm also curious. I do not recall any dominating team results from US Postal/Discovery. Oh longevity under a sponsor, but no multiple jersies, no multiple riders on the podium, not even a GC winner and a team championship.

I can think of a French team that did far better on overall GC placing, had a Polka Dot and won the team championship. And from the National teams era Italy looks pretty good following WW II.

oh very much. he would not have won. but if you have a top ten guy who is an excellent cyclist setting tempo for you, its a very good weapon.
everyone is looking at these guys separately...thats not the point, contador would kill them all separately. but as a TEAM they would be too strong.

Please explain how a team can put AC under stress in the mountians. I have a pretty good idea of how it can be done, but I do not see any team that has the weapons to pull it off, excepting perhaps Andy and Frank.

OK OK OK, im sorry i did say it was the best in cycling history. that will ruffle some feathers. i actually meant to post in "modern" history. now that could be debated too but i did respond too fast and i put in history.
i would say that athletes today are better than they have ever been, no person in particular but as a whole.

You suggested Bruyneel's teams are/were the best ever. I wanted to know how you came to that conclusion. Asking you to provide names of the next best teams in cycling history gives me a better idea of your thought process.

you are correct. i dont know enough about cycling pre 80's to make a statement like that. i know the major names but not the teams.

is it just me or did the article in the original post not mention anything about george hincapie?

since i got in over my head let me refine my statement, Bruyneel is the best manager in the past 10 years. and his record in the past 10 years is astounding. with that said.
1.he will be with TRS...TRS will have the strongest team in cycling...Contador will not have a good team if he rides for Caisse d'Epargne...if Contador does not have a team better than Caisse d'Epargne he will not win.

since i got in over my head let me refine my statement, Bruyneel is the best manager in the past 10 years. and his record in the past 10 years is astounding. with that said.
1.he will be with TRS...TRS will have the strongest team in cycling...Contador will not have a good team if he rides for Caisse d'Epargne...if Contador does not have a team better than Caisse d'Epargne he will not win.

For someone to beat him in the GC they have to have a lower time. Where are they going to put time into him? They are not going to get 5 minutes in the team time trial and he will put 2 or more minutes on most of the contenders on most if not all of the mountiantop finishes.