Day 1 in Belgium

March 30, 2010 11:36 by Matt Lipscomb

  We arrived this morning around 8:00 local time, got our bikes and all our luggage in about 10 minutes so its alittle more efficient here. We then got in the van and made the hour drive to the town of Izegem where the usa cycling team house is located. Built bikes, ofcourse every one gave a good stair to my BMC but they know hands off shes mine! Then got a quick sandwich and we where off on a ride to the near by town of Kortijk where Greg Lemond lived for some years. Thank god it didnt rain today was actually a nice day to be outside..... kinda. Got back ate again watch some bike racing on t.v. which is alittle more entertaining when you can laugh at the silly language they are commentating in. Sill acouple days till race day but a buisy schedule with media and stuff, by the way Im sporting all the Hincapie sports ware I can. Well time to go get ready for dinner I will do another update some time before the race begins friday. And yes it totally just started pooring rain. Love Belgium.

Our New HED Wheels are Awesome

March 17, 2010 10:13 by Steve Baker

We are fortunate to have some of the best equipment sponsors in the world supporting our Hincapie Development Team.  We love riding and racing the best stuff you can get, and this week we took delivery of some new hoops from HED.  Justin Lowe won a race the very first time he raced on the new wheels!  That has to be a good sign of things to come.

HED makes some of the most advanced bicycle wheels in the world.  They are light and stiff, while providing superior aerodynamics in almost any condition.  They test all their wheels against the wind and publish the information on their website in some easy to understand graphs.

This year, Hincapie Devo riders are rolling on HED Jet 4 and HED Jet 6 wheels.  These things are awesome.  They are smooth and fast, while offering the stiffness we need to rail through corners.  Not only are they fast riding wheels, but they look amazing on our Black/White BMC ProMachines too.  Our friend Eddie Helton took some shots of Justin’s bike last night at the Tuesday Night World Championships.  (Hooray for the time change!)

That's one sweet looking ride.  This one belongs to Michael Stone.

I wanted to try the new HED Ardennes that I have read so much about, with their bombproof 23mm Scandium C2 rim and smooth rolling Sonic Hubs.  Being a larger rider, who is pretty hard on his wheels, I ordered the Stallion build.  HED recommends this build for riders over 190 pounds, because this set up adds one extra pair of spokes to help absorb any extra abuse.

These HED Ardennes wheels are awesome!  They are light, stiff, good-looking and smooth-rolling.  I’ve ridden quite a few wheels over the years and these are definitely some of the best wheels I’ve ever pedaled.  My BMC ProMachine was already a rocket ship, but from the very first time I spooned on my Michelin Pro3 tires, these Ardennes put a big smile on my face.  They accelerate better than anything I've ridden in a long time.  They feel light up the hill and have the stiffness to bomb the decent with the best of them.  HED says these things are great for racing and training, so they are just right for a guy like me who hates switching wheels on race day.  (Hey, you have to practice using what you race on to get good when it counts, right?)  If you aren’t looking for larger, deep-dish wheels like the Jet 6’s, and you want some light, stiff, do-anything wheels, you will absolutely love these HED Ardennes!

Hincapie Development Team Wins Again in Columbia

March 15, 2010 14:39 by Steve Baker

It was another fantastic weekend for the Hincapie Development Team.  Justin Lowe and Parker Kyzer teamed up to race the Blythewood Road Race and the Forest Acres Spring Criterium this weekend in Columbia, SC.  The duo worked well together and came away with some really great results in the Cat 3 races.  Justin and Parker finished 1st and 6th respectively on Saturday.  They followed it up on Sunday with 2nd and 15th place finishes.  The guys are racing well together and we’re proud of them.  They can probably taste the upgrades already…ha ha.

Justin sent me his account of the weekend.

Blythewood RR:
Saturday it was really, really windy. Parker and I sat in for the first 2 laps or so and covered and watched a couple of small breaks get pulled back. At the beginning of lap 3, Parker attacked with a couple guys, and the field had to work hard to pull them back. As soon as they got caught, I countered real hard into a strong head wind. One guy from Uptown Cycles in Charlotte went with me. It was a two man break from then on out. Parker covered everything and helped move us up the road. I had done most of the work in the break, so coming down to the final lap I sprinted around the guy in the last 200 for the win. It felt great!

We've Seen Some Great Teamwork by These Guys This Spring

Forest Acres Crit:
On Sunday, Parker and I planned to set a hard pace and be aggressive. From the beginning Parker and I were constantly attacking over and over. Were tried and tried for a break but couldn’t get anyone to work. We couldn’t get the break to work but we did our best to make the race as hard as possible on everyone else. I sat in the last three laps or so and got behind the guy I thought would bring me home. Well he dragged me all the way to the line, but I couldn’t come around. I got 2nd.

Like Justin, Parker has been aggressive this spring.

These guys are working hard, having fun and learning how to win bike races.  We’re thrilled to have them on the team and we look forward to the day when we can help them upgrade to the next level.  More exciting action is sure to follow.

Waffle House Super Powers?

March 11, 2010 17:03 by Steve Baker

Hincapie Development Rider Michael Stone brought us our first victory of the season this past weekend.  I thought it would be fun to get Michael's account of his first Pro,1,2 victory.  Here's what he had to say about Sunday. (Disclaimer: Michael's words, but Baker's images...ha ha.)

Coming into the day, I wasnt feeling too good.  I felt a liitle run down and tired for some reason. Before the race, Neil suggested Waffle house. "Jet fuel" I thought!

Michael had Waffle House Super Powers on Sunday...ha ha!

As I arrived at the race course, the weather got cloudy, cold..and windy.  Knowing this would change the race, I knew I had to stay near the front. At 1:00 everyone lined up (the most nervous part of the race for me).  The rules were announced and we were off.

Nothing really happeded for the first couple laps. Christian Parrett got away early and no one chased.His lead grew to over 3 mins, then the pace picked up with attacks and teams working at the front. Throughout the day moves went and a Hincapie Devo rider covered every one.  The team worked flawlesly. Amazingly, Christian's lead was gone in almost one lap!  Then the usaual counter attacks started going on the crosswind section, this is when Rich looked at me and said, "the feild is gonna split, we need to move up quick."  Rich was right, we ended up having to bridge a gap across the split field.

On the front side everything was back together and all the action stopped, until two laps to go. Coming up to the finish line, a move went, and no one chased.  Thinking this was the one, I bridged. Behind me Thad Dulin was quickly on his way too.  The break was 4 strong and quickly gaining time.  Everyone was working great. Rotation was perfect and coming up to one to go, the peleton was out of sight. I was confident the break would win.

We worked together to hold our gap until about 1.5 k to go. Let the games begin!  The four of us just looked at each other and waited for the first move. Geri Mewett of Hincapie/Gary Fisher made the first move, kinda leading us out.  I was sitting second wheel and waited to hear the sound of sprinting wheels behind me. Lanham opened up the sprint with about 300m to go. I jumped hard and gave it everything I had. He was starting to come back and I knew with about 50m to go that I had it. I came by and threw my hands up! the feeling of victory is unlike any other.  The team worked well together, and I am really looking forward to what the rest of the year holds.
 
Michael Stone