George Hincapie To Become A Tennis Star?

He's already hoisted several cycling tropies, perhaps now "Big George" will try to win a few on the ATP?

Rumors out of Greenville, SC, home to "Big George" Hincapie, have the ex-Postal Service/Discovery rider honing his form for the coming year by playing tennis. The new signing for Team High Road must have been thinking more about retirement than the northern Classics as he vollied his way through the off season.

Slogging through the Roubaix mud in 2001 on his way to a fourth place finish. "The Lion of Flanders," Johan Museeuw follows close behind. Museeuw would go on to finish second, on an all Domo-Farm Frites podium.

And why not? Hincapie has had an excellent career, despite his bad luck through the years (video). He rode with Lance Armstrong on all seven of his Tour de France wins, and even added the queen stage of the 2005 Tour to his palmares. Although he hasn't had the best of luck in his beloved Paris-Roubaix (click video link above), he has still shown well over the years in the early season northern Classics.

The big time: Hincapie wins the queen stage of the 2005 Tour to Pla d'Adet

So what will 2008 bring for Hincapie? Riding for Team High Road, he'll be racing, for the first time in a long time, on a new team. Team High Road is a very young and inexperienced team. With exception to Roger Hammond (who'll no doubt be of great help to Hincapie in Roubaix), Bernard Eisel, and Marco Pinotti, most of the High Road team has very little experience. While George will have a chance to impart his extensive cycling wisdom to the young High Road charges during the season, much of his energy may be taken away in the process. Indeed, Hincapie's 2008 success may hinge on his ability to balance his time teaching the youngsters with his training and racing time for himself out on the road.

Riding in his first ever Giro d'Italia in 2007 as the American national champion. Nice custom paint job!

Now an elder statesman of cycling, Hincapie will be grasping at the precious few opportunities that remain in 2008. He'll aim high in California, hoping to help his young sprinters to victory while riding high on the GC by staying with the mountain men on the climbs and limiting his time losses in the time trials. The northern Classics will beckon again in early spring, where he'll try finally to conquer the "Hell of the North," and in July he'll line up for his lucky 13th Tour de France. A run at at fifth appearance in an Olympic games isn't out of the question either, which would be a very nice way to end one's career. Whether he'll choose to walk away then is a question only "Big George" can answer.