[Terpripken]

Team High Road Presentation 2008



Part III---Team Leaders & Riders To Watch---Pt 1



George Hincapie is arguably the most important rider to Team High Road. It is because he does so many things well and is such a team oriented rider, that he is invaluable. His many years of experience in the pro peleton make him an ideal mentor for a younger riders. He has finished the Tour de France 12 times, and helped Lance Armstrong to all 7 of his victories. He has finished in the Top 6 at Paris-Roubaix 5 times, perhaps the most prestigious of all the Classics. He can motor on the flats, is a serviceable climber, an underrated time trialist, and one of the world's best cobblers. He can go on the attack, reel in a breakaway and has even won a sprint or two in his day. Yes...George Hincapie might be the best American cyclist you have never heard of. Big George will start the season at the Amgen Tour of California, an important race to him and our management. He will then ride in Tirreno-Adriatico as preperation for his two major goals of the season: Gent-Wevelgem and Paris-Roubaix. He will return to America in May to ride in the Tour de Georgia, a very tough stage race that contains two time trials and a pair of brutal mountain stages. He'll then take time off to prepare to do what he does best...help other rider's do well in the Tour de France. The rest of his season will be sprinkled with races here and there. Yes indeed...George Hincapie is a key cog in the Team High Road machine.



Hailing from Voitsberg, Austria, this 27 year old signed on with T-Mobile following the 2006 season. He has had to endure a management shake up due to the Jan Ulrich affair, and now finds himself riding for a sponsorless team. Nonetheless, he has maintained a positive outlook, and will be rewarded for that by essentially being the team leader for the first 3rd of the season. He can win big sprints, but also is valuable as a domestique, and will at times be asked to lead-out other riders, for Team High Road has no shortage of strong men. His above average cobble skills will find him racing alot in the early Spring Classics. With Omloop Het Volk, Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, Nokere-Koerse, and Dwars door Vlaanderen all races he is expected to lead. His season will start in Australia at the first race of the year, the Pro Tour event Tour Down Under, where he hopes to garner Team High Road their first of many points this season.



Often overshadowed by his fellow countrymen, the Schleck brothers, Kim Kirchen is out to prove in 2008, that it is HE is who the best cyclist from Luxembourg. 2007 was a breakout campaign of sorts for Kirchen. He finished second at both Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour de Suisse, and then followed that with a 7th place at the Tour de France. He will be looking to improve upon those results this season, and has his eye on the Tour again. He will also be gunning for good results at the Amstel Gold Race, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and La Fleche Wallone, three hilly Classics in the Ardennes that suit his skill set. He'll also ride plenty of Pro Tour events, and will look for glory again at the Tour de Suisse. He'll complete his season by riding in either the Tour of Britian or Tour de Pologne.