Greenville natives visit Tour of Flanders

The madness before Flanders

It was deja vu for Tom Boonen. At the E3 Prijis, Boonen was in the breakaway with Cancellara and Juan Antonio Flecha. With two kilometers to the finish Cancellara attacked in a move the Belgian champion must have known was coming and could do nothing. The same type of scenario played out again at the Tour of Flanders. This time it was just Boonen and Cancellara away with 44 kilometers remaining. And on the the Muur, with 15 kilometers of road in front of him, the Swiss champion shifted into a gear Boonen didn’t have and was gone.

In the end it was Cancellara – AKA Spartacus, Boonen and Philippe Gilbert. In the main group George Hincapie sprinted across the line in sixth place.

While we watched this play out on streaming video several South Carolinians made the trip to Flanders in support of Greenville’s own George Hincapie. In that group was Hincapie’s older brother Rich – president of Hincapie Sportswear. Also making this pilgrimage to the classics mecca of Belgium is Randy Owens, good friend of Rich Hincapie. Because of his friendship with both Rich and George, Owens was able to get up close and personal with the BMC team before and during the Tour of Flanders. Randy was kind enough to share these photos with me and I can’t wait to hear his stories when he returns.

Neil Browne

Neil Browne grew up in a cycling family, listening to the tales of his father’s experience as a professional racer in Ireland. Neil’s journalism career has included 5 years as editorial director of a national cycling magazine and writing a column for Versus.com. His articles appear in magazines such as Velo News and Paved.

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