Inside the Season So Far
The first months of racing have already delivered breakthroughs, lessons and a clearer sense of identity for Modern Adventure Pro Cycling. We caught up with George Hincapie - the boss - to reflect on what’s stood out so far.
Looking back on the first months of racing, what stands out most?
Definitely starting really strongly in AlUla - taking second on the final stage and finishing fourth overall. It was exciting for everyone, and I think it set a clear, early marker for who we are and what we want to build towards.
There have already been podiums, a national title, strong rides in Europe and a debut at races like Paris-Roubaix. Beyond the results themselves, what have been the biggest learnings for the group?
Naturally, there are a lot of moving parts at this level. A race like Roubaix, for example, demands everything with all hands on deck - we had staff flying in from all over the world and had to invest heavily in logistics and support to make sure the riders had what they needed.
It’s only a one-day race and was a far bigger operational challenge than I expected, but also it was really exciting for us to be there. And I was really proud to see five of our seven riders survive one of the hardest races in the world.
You’ve spoken a lot about building “America’s Team” with a long-term vision. In these first months, where have you already started to see that identity taking shape, both on and off the bike?
We’ve certainly had a huge amount of interest from riders in the U.S. - we get emails every day from potential riders and rider representatives wanting their riders to join our team… and we’re just getting started.
The goal is clear: in five years, we want to be America’s leading team at the Tour de France. But even at this early stage, we’re already way ahead of where we expected to be in terms of building that foundation.
The support around the team already feels strong - online, roadside and across the wider cycling community. Has that response surprised you at all/ What do you think people are connecting with most about this team?
It’s been really nice to witness personally, whether in Europe or here in the US, that fans love the team. When we started, we wanted to invest heavily in the image of the team for starters - telling riders’ stories and building something people can connect with. I really think that’s helped gain the support of fans, both online and on the road.
Again, we’re just getting started, but I can see the support is definitely growing and will continue to do so as time goes on.
As the season moves forward, what are the biggest opportunities ahead for this group?
It’s always evolving. We’d love to keep building on recent momentum - like the stage win and GC result at Gila - and continue finding opportunities to win.
I’d love to see a win in Europe, whether that’s a time trial or a stage win. But honestly, these first two years are really about building the team properly and getting the basics right - learning how to race together, staying organised and continuing to grow as a unit, which we’ve done well so far.
We’ve just finished Tour de Hongrie, and we’ve got Wallonia Tour and Arctic Race of Norway to come, so there's still some big races on the already packed calendar. So as long as we keep doing what we’ve been doing, riding together, making an impact where we can, I’ll be happy.
For a young team stepping into this level of racing, how do you balance ambition with patience?
This is all about establishing the basics first and not putting too much pressure on the riders.
We’ve got a lot of young riders and inexperienced guys who were racing mainly criteriums in the US until this year. Any results we get are fantastic, but for me, more importantly, I just want to see them racing as a team, supporting each other and making it to the finale as a unit… and we’ve certainly done a great job of doing that so far.
Results will come - and they will become more important - but right now, the most important thing is racing together.
What’s been your favourite (or proudest) moment of the season so far that fans probably didn’t see?
That’s a hard one. Probably seeing the guys' faces at Roubaix when they came into the velodrome.
I remember my first Roubaix quite well - I got crushed, and I think I finished like 20 minutes behind, but I was like “wow, this is the coolest race I’ve ever done!”. Seeing that same look on some of our younger riders’ faces made me really proud.
And finally, what can fans expect from Modern Adventure Pro Cycling through the second half of the season?
We’ll take as many opportunities as we can; we’re in a fortunate position, there’s no pressure from management, but there’s a strong desire to keep learning how to race together while also bringing the fight to the big races too.
