The Hindu : Sport / Cycling : Armstrong can cause an upset, says Hincapie

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Armstrong can cause an upset, says Hincapie

MONACO: Veteran rider George Hincapie helped Lance Armstrong win seven straight Tour de France titles and believes his old friend could surprise a lot of people this year.

Many cycling experts are writing Armstrong off. But not Hincapie.

“I think he has got very good possibilities,” Hincapie said on Friday. “He has trained very hard, he says he is feeling good. It’s going to be exciting but I cannot predict what he will do. I wouldn’t put anything past him.”

“He is fit and feeling good, he is confident with the way his training and preparation have gone,” Hincapie said. “He has started early (this season) and he is motivated.”

Hincapie, who spent the greatest years of his career working for the 37-year-old cancer survivor, now rides for the Columbia-High Road team while Armstrong is with the Astana squad and using his comeback to raise awareness about cancer.

“I’m excited to see how he will do,” said Hincapie. “He is the one guy that really doesn’t have to be here, he is just doing it for a cause. I support his effort and I wish him the best.”

Armstrong’s main obstacle in his quest for an eighth Tour win is expected to be his teammate Alberto Contador, the 2007 champion considered the “clear-cut favourite” by Armstrong himself.

“I don’t know (their relationship), but I assume it’s good because they have to eat dinner everyday and every night, and breakfast, and they have to be in the same team, so it’s important they have a good relationship and I assume they do,” Hincapie said.

Hincapie, who won his only individual Tour stage in a mountain stage of the 2005 Tour, would love to add another line to his record before retiring in “another year or two.”

“Last year I was close at one of the hardest mountain stages, I just messed up the descent a little bit, so if I’m in the right breakaway, I think it’s definitely possible,” he said.

Riders rewards

The average salary of professional riders rose from $98,550 a year in 2002 to $191,470 in 2009, according to figures released by cycling’s governing body, the UCI.

The increases were considerable for riders in the UCI ProTeams — the elite teams — whose incomes went from $140,786) in 2002 to $267,493 in 2009.

Japanese duo

Yukiya Arashiro and Fumiyuki Beppu are joining the cast of the very few Japanese who have ridden the Tour de France.

This Tour is the first where two Japanese cyclists will ride in the same year. — AP

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