Hincapie to BMC, Levi to The Shack, Horner Crashes Out Again

Big week for American cycling. George Hincapie, after an amazing USPRO championship victory on home soil, announced that he is headed to the Swiss outfit BMC for 2010. The Greenville native was linked to BMC for the past several weeks, and for 2010 he'll be joined by a strong supporting cast, including world champion Alessandro Ballan, classics strongman Karsten Kroon and others. The continental squad will be a contender at the early season and hilly classics, and will hope for a grand tour invite based on their early season success.

Also in the news was the announcement that Levi Leipheimer will join Lance Armstrong and others at the new Radio Shack team. Hardly a surprise, Leipheimer will follow not only Armstrong, but Johan Bruyneel to the new squad. The Shack team is shaping up nicely, but Armstrong still has many holes to fill if he is to put together a Tour de France worthy outfit. Leipheimer meanwhile will hope for a fourth straight Amgen Tour of California victory, but his ability to defend his title will hinge in large part on the quality of his support staff. The new May date too could make defending his title difficult.

Finally, in what has become a grimly familiar headline, Chris Horner once again crashed out of a major stage race, this time with a broken wrist. The veteran has been luckless all season, and once again he was struck down with a broken bone, this time a wrist, after a massive pile up in the Vuelta a Espana. Horner will no doubt be a hot commodity in 2010, but where he'll ride is still unclear. Many in the know believe that he'll ride for Armstrong and the Radio Shack team, but Horner himself has stated this is not necessarily true. Now toward the end of his career, Horner will follow the money and likely sign with the highest bidder providing he is guaranteed a Tour de France ride.

There will certainly be more developments over the coming days and weeks, but the past few days have been a whirlwind of big news for American cycling. In fact, Tom Zirbel signing with Garmin for 2010 is another big piece of news that has come out in the coming days, as the time trial ace joins the Pro Tour in 2010. Garmin, as they have year over year, looks even stronger for next season. More to come in the near future, as the American cycling scene continues to shift.