George Hincapie: New cycling team aims for Tour de France 2026!

George Hincapie: New cycling team aims for Tour de France 2026!

In the world of cycling there is exciting news from the USA: George Hincapie, a household name known for his achievements and also for his controversies in cycling over the past decades, has launched a new team. The project is called “Modern Adventure Pro Cycling” and has set itself the ambitious goal of competing in the Tour de France within the next five years. This reports WeLoveCycling.

The team is licensed in the US and has locations in Greenville, South Carolina and Girona, Spain. Hincapie, who has taken part in the Tour de France an impressive 17 times, will lead the team. Under his leadership are some notable cycling figures, including General Manager Rich Hincapie, Performance Director Bobby Julich and a number of former US Champions who will serve as Sport Directors, such as Alex Howes and Joey Rosskopf. Dustin Harder and Luis Vargas, CEO of main sponsor Modern Adventure, are also part of the team. Hincapie emphasizes that over 50% of drivers should be Americans, which represents a clear commitment to supporting national talent.

Focus on team culture and talent

Hincapie not only wants to create a fast team, but also develop a special team culture that includes resilience and pride. “We’re not just about winning,” he explains, “we want to create a community.” This includes a careful selection process for the drivers, which includes interviews and analysis of their characters and attitudes. The talent should not be recruited from existing WorldTour teams, but rather from the youth base, which sets the team apart from others. This also underlines the long-term approach that Hincapie is taking.

The first interim goal of “Modern Adventure Pro Cycling” is to increase to the ProTeam category by 2026, which is the second highest league in the UCI. The long-term aim is to move up to the UCI World Tour by 2032 at the latest and fight for victories in the Tour de France. In recent years, US riders like Sepp Kuss and Matteo Jorgenson have enjoyed great success, and Hincapie sees a resurgence of cycling in his homeland. “The chances are good for a renaissance of cycling in the USA,” continued Hincapie.

Sponsors and support

The team already has major sponsors on board, including Factor Bikes and Black Inc., and is working with The Feed, which offers a personalized nutrition platform. The support of USA Cycling, whose president Brendan Quirk describes the team formation as necessary for the sport, also gives the project additional impetus. Hincapie highlights that the team will compete in key events in Europe and South America to gain the aggressive tactics and experience essential to success at a high level.

Although Hincapie served as a “loyal lieutenant” for Lance Armstrong in the past and admitted doping, the team is now heading down a new, clean path. Hincapie is doing everything he can to leave the dark sides of the past behind him and usher in a new chapter in US cycling. The podcast "The Move", run by Armstrong, supports the new team, which makes the complicated background of cycling even more exciting, as Armstrong himself has been banned from all cycling activities for life.

The future of “Modern Adventure Pro Cycling” promises exciting developments. Hincapie and his team want to not only develop the country's best talent, but also revive interest in cycling among US fans. The journey to the Tour de France has begun and it remains to be seen how this ambitious project turns out.