"The team is completely independent from Lance Armstrong" – George Hincapie steps out of the past as Modern Adventure targets American revival
Cycling
George Hincapie has returned to frontline professional cycling with a clear message: his new Modern Adventure Pro Cycling Team is not an extension, revival, tribute nor disguised continuation of his long association with Lance Armstrong.
The American former Classics specialist, who retired in 2012 with 28 career wins including Gent-Wevelgem, said that although the pair still collaborate on a podcast, the new programme will be built on new leadership, new values and new objectives.
"We are in touch, and as I said, we work together on the podcast, but the team is completely independent from Lance and even in the search for sponsors, I am moving autonomously and through different channels," he told Bici.Pro.
Hincapie has positioned the outfit as a long-term, multi-stage rebuild rather than a publicity project or nostalgic comeback.
A long-term US flagship with Tour aspirations
The former Motorola, US Postal and BMC rider says the goal is nothing less than a Tour-competitive American super-team, with a structural identity rooted in home-grown talent rather than licence paperwork.
"I want to create the American dream team, the Tour de France dream team," he said, adding that the squad will operate with a minimum 50 per cent US roster policy to ensure recognisability and cultural buy-in. "I want to prove I can build a highly successful team and revitalise cycling here in America."
His concern centres on visibility: elite American riders currently race predominantly for European organisations, diluting their impact and leaving national fans without a clear team to support.
European calendar the priority — criteriums remain secondary
Modern Adventure aims to race across Europe, the Middle East and selected US events, but will not base its identity around criterium racing despite acknowledging its entertainment value.
"In our first two years, we will race wherever possible," he said, confirming that invitations are not guaranteed due to second-division status. He described criteriums as "short, adrenaline-filled and exciting," but outlined Europe as the competitive focus.
Hincapie also said the team will attempt to win five races in its debut season, emphasising performance progression as an internal benchmark rather than fan-service optimism.
Hayter rebuild central to project ethos
The recruitment of Leo Hayter, who stepped away from racing due to depression before returning at 22, is being treated as a responsibility rather than a gamble. Hincapie has hired Bobby Julich as performance director with the explicit aim of removing pressure, restoring confidence and providing elite infrastructure.
"We are all going to work to reduce the pressure and give him the best tools to return to his level — and even surpass it," he said, expressing personal excitement while acknowledging risk on both sides.
Former INEOS prodigy Leo Hayter returns to the peloton with Hincapie's team
Modern Adventure: clean identity, clean break, clear horizon
Hincapie compared his enthusiasm to the feeling of signing his first European contract at 19, describing the comeback as "fun, exciting and nerve-wracking" but "a great feeling".
The message is unmistakable: Modern Adventure is not a brand resurrection, not a rehabilitation platform, and not a shadow project — it is a fresh American attempt to build a credible, top-level programme from scratch.
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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- Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin in this list is quite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
- dude, Lemond never even was in the same race as Armstrong. He throws all these aspersions on other American riders who might usurp his throne as the greatest ever American racer. He doesn't say a single thing about (foreign) dopers who he actually raced against. Biggest douchebag move ever. I used to revere that guy, now I despise him. His actions are so weird.fatsupermodel02-11-2026
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