Hincapie to Ride Against Armstrong for First Time at 2009 Tour Down Under

Columbia's George Hincapie will be at the start line in Australia for the 2009 Tour Down Under this coming January, and for the first time will ride against former team leader Lance Armstrong of the Astana team. Armstrong will be riding in his first race since his retirement over two years ago, and will no doubt find it strange to see Hincapie in a different uniform. It will be interesting to see whether the former duo try to escape together in a breakaway or whether Armstrong will merely be trying to survive.

Meanwhile, Columbia GC hope and Hincapie teammate Michael Rogers has stated that he thinks Armstrong will have his hands full when he returns to active racing, and has even said he wouldn't be surprised to see Armstrong dropped. Rogers may well be right, but if Armstrong thrives in his first foray back to active racing, what will that say for the rest of the peloton? If Armstrong finishes the Tour Down Under and rides aggressively for a stage or two, it should indicate that he is a legitimate Giro contender. If however he is dropped as Rogers is claiming, perhaps his comeback will end as soon as it started.


And what about Hincapie? Will he be able to resist the temptation of working for/with Armstrong? Will the tall American try to drag Armstrong away from the peloton in hopes of having the Texan assist him for a stage win? Or will the two be all business, largely ignoring each other during racing time? Hincapie is known as a professional, and he'll likely not be affected by Armstrong's presence. The again though, it will be great to se the dynamic between the two former teammates as they redefine their peloton relationship.

For the first time in it's history, the Tour Down Under will take on International relevance in the cycling world. Unfortunately, it will be relevant not for its parcours, but by one of the individuals riding in it. Lance Armstrong will thrust the Tour Down Under into the International limelight in a few weeks time, and his participation in the Australian stage race may end up increasing the prestige of the Tour Down Under for the long term. And as for Rogers' predictions, a word of warning: Doubting Lance Armstrong is a bad idea, no matter what age he is or what position he is in.