Where are the Americans?
Through 1st Stage
18. Christian Vandevelde, United States, GARMIN CHIPOTLE, 4 hours.
29. George Hincapie, United States, TEAM COLUMBIA, 7 seconds behind.
99. Danny Pate, United States, GARMIN CHIPOTLE, 1 minute, 12 seconds behind.
161. William Frischkorn, United States, GARMIN CHIPOTLE, 2 minutes behind.
Per:
ESPN - Tour de France-US Individual Overall Results - Cycling
2008 Tour de France: Four American Racers
The Few, The Proud
There are only four American riders in the 2008 Tour de France. What does that mean for the sport?
George Hincapie, TEAM COLUMBIA
Age: 35
Role: Team Captain
?Photo courtesy of Team High Road and Tim De Waele
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George Hincapie has the most Tour de France experience of the four American riders in 2008.[/FONT]
Hincapie has finished 12 Tours, more than any other American rider (the next closest is Frankie Andreu, who retired after finishing nine). Hincapie in some ways takes the role with Columbia that Andreu had with U.S. Postal: he's a road captain, the guy who, in the old days before race radios, told everyone what to do. Even with that instant communication link to the car, a rider like Hincapie is invaluable. He's the team director's eyes and ears in the field, and can react instantaneously to events like attacks or crashes. Columbia is at heart a young team - Hincapie is the only rider over 30, and only two other riders on the team (Kim Kirchen and Bernhard Eisel) have significant Tour experience; five riders on the team will be eligible for the white jersey of the race's best young rider (under 25).
That said, Hincapie has a bigger role to play than just directing traffic. Kirchen is the team's best all-around rider, and the sprint tandem of Mark Cavendish and Gerald Ciolek will doubtless be in the mix for the flat stages, but Hincapie is the kind of rider with the ability to win on a variety of terrain from a larger bunch, a small break, or even a savvy solo attack, like he did in stage two of this year's Dauphine Libere, where he jumped with just 700 meters to go and held off the charge. Kirchen is a good bet for a top 10 overall finish in Paris, but Columbia is first and foremost looking for stage wins, meaning Hincapie is one to watch.
Christian Vande Velde, GARMIN CHIPOTLE
Age: 33
Role: All-around support, stage win threat
Vande Velde, who comes from a cycling family (his father, John, is known for among other things the portable Vandedrome track), has long been a top domestique for teams ranging from U.S. Postal to CSC. But in 2008 he has blossomed at Garmin-Chipotle with some
strong results of his own: time trial stage wins at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Giro d'Italia and Tour de Georgia, a third-place overall finish at the Tour of California and seventh overall at Georgia.
?Photo courtesy of Team Garmin-Chipotle H3O and Graham Watson
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Christian Vande Velde sports the maglia rose during stage 2 of the Giro d'Italia after the team's win of the opening team time trial.[/FONT]
He's a powerful rider who can turn over a big gear on the flats or pace a team leader up the cols, and this will be his fifth Tour. His experience will prove invaluable for Garmin, with four riders who've never done a Tour before. The team is clearly targeting stage wins, and whether Christian's the one launching the attacks or priming them, he'll have a hand to play in the team's success.
Danny Pate, GARMIN CHIPOTLE
Age: 29
Role: Support, time trials
Although this is Danny's first-ever
Tour de France, don't think he's lacking in experience. Pate's been a pro since 2000, and while he's ridden mostly for domestic teams like Health Net and Prime Alliance, he's got loads of international experience dating back to his Espoirs days winning races like the Tryptique Ardennais and stages at Thuringen Rundfahrt. Pate's also one of Garmin's four riders who rode the Giro d'Italia and will also start the Tour. His performance in Italy bodes well for his experiences in his second-ever Grand Tour: after helping the team to a historic win in the opening team time trial, Pate bookended his Giro with a strong sixth-place finish in the final stage, a 28.5km individual TT into Milan.
?Photo courtesy of Team Garmin-Chipotle H3O and Graham Watson
Will Frischkorn, GARMIN CHIPOTLE
Age: 28
Role: Support rider, flat and rolling stages
If riders like David Millar and Magnus Backstedt represent the new Garmin, the team that owner Doug Ellis and manager Vaughters hope will bring Tour glory, then Frischkorn represents the team's past as a development outfit, as well as Ellis' and Vaughters' passion for the role.
Frischkorn turned pro in 2000 with Mercury, but in 2005 he signed with Vaughters' fledgling TIAA-CREF squad as a team leader - he was the elder statesman charged with, among other duties, shepherding along his young teammates. In keeping with Garmin's developmental roots, Frischkorn will take on his first Grand Tour ever and, based on his long experience as a racer, be an invaluable asset to the team.
Although an all-around rider, Frischkorn spent most of the season on Garmin's classics-oriented squads, helping out in races like Paris-Roubaix and the Three Days of De Panne. That experience will serve him well in the Tour, particularly the opening stages which are flat, fast, and nervous, with 189 riders all jostling for position. Frischkorn will shelter team leaders, set pace, carry bottles and food and generally help out in any way possible. The thanks he'll get will be, in all likelihood, unspectacular finishes, a growing sense of dog-tired fatigue, and some of the singular experiences of his lifetime. Experienced pro or not, there's nothing like your first Tour.
?Photo courtesy of Team Garmin-Chipotle H3O and Graham Watson
Entire article: 2008 Tour de France: Four American Racers
