"First European win for the team!” - George Hincapie’s Modern Adventure take landmark victory just six months into debut season
Cycling
George Hincapie’s Modern Adventure Pro Cycling has claimed the biggest victory of its short history, with Ben Oliver winning Stage 2 of the Tour de Wallonie to deliver the American team’s first European success just six months into its debut season.
Oliver’s victory in Libramont-Chevigny also moved him into the overall race lead, giving Modern Adventure a major 2.Pro breakthrough in a first campaign that has already produced three wins and growing visibility on both sides of the Atlantic. For a new team still building its place in the professional peloton, this was the result that turned early promise into something far more concrete.
Hincapie’s name gives the project instant recognition, even if the former US Postal rider remains tied to the Lance Armstrong era and his later admission of doping. But Modern Adventure’s first season is now developing its own sporting storyline, with Oliver’s Wallonie win capping an excellent opening six months.
The team had already won twice in 2026 before arriving in Belgium. Samuel Florez took Stage 5 of the Tour of the Gila, while Stefan de Bod claimed the South African national time trial title. Oliver’s result lifted that early progress onto a higher platform, coming against established sprint opposition and with Hincapie present at the race.
Modern Adventure’s fast start gets a European headline
Modern Adventure had already been active across the opening two days in Wallonie. Florez took the KOM jersey from the Stage 1 breakaway, while Oliver finished fourth behind Jordi Meeus in the opening sprint. A day later, the team converted that promising start into its clearest statement so far.
The significance was not only in the result itself. Oliver won after a difficult final, moved into the overall lead, and gave the team a European breakthrough before the season had reached its midpoint.
Modern Adventure directeur sportif Ty Magner framed the victory around the collective approach the team has tried to build since its first race days. “We’ve been telling the team for months to commit to each other, commit to the plans, commit to being a team, and results will follow,” Magner said post-stage. “From day one in Alula the guys showed what was possible, and it’s only taken 6 months to take our first win in Europe.”
That first European win came at the end of a wet, messy finale in Libramont-Chevigny. Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe had looked well organised for Meeus, with Danny van Poppel guiding the race leader into the sprint and Arnaud De Lie on Meeus’ wheel.
Oliver’s route to victory was less straightforward. The New Zealander unclipped heading towards the finish, before teammates Riley Pickrell and Paul Wright helped bring him back into position in the final 1500 metres. From there, Oliver finished off the team’s biggest result yet.
Hincapie is the spearhead behind Modern Adventure Pro Cycling Team
Oliver delivers the breakthrough moment
“First European win for the team!” Oliver said after the stage. “We were chasing stage wins this week, and to get that on the second stage after a close day yesterday with fourth with George watching before he heads home tomorrow. To get it done whilst he was here was an awesome way to finish a wet and windy day in the Tour of Wallonie.”
Oliver’s victory also added an individual success story to the team’s wider start. Magner pointed out that the rider was racing criteriums in the United States this time last year, before now winning in Europe and taking the leader’s jersey at a 2.Pro race.
“Also just extremely happy for Ben. This time last year he was racing crits in the states, and for him to have these opportunities now is one reason this team was founded,” Magner said. “A bike racer will always be a bike racer. We’ll enjoy this one!”
Oliver also credited the teammates who helped save his sprint after the late problem. “The boys had my back all day,” he said. “Me and Riley were in a good position for the sprint then him and Paul got me out of trouble with 1500m to go. We got the job done - a wicked day for the team.”
Modern Adventure now head into Stage 3 with Oliver in the overall lead and Florez still wearing the KOM jersey. Six months into its first season, Hincapie’s team has its first European win, its biggest result so far and a clearer place in the professional peloton than many new projects manage to earn so quickly.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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