Knocked Out

March 9, 2010 08:46 by Parker Kyzer

Everyone who is involved in cycling knows there are crashes. We try to not think about crashing, but we all know if you race you will crash. Many times it is a simple rider error and other times it seems to just happen. It is a question of when, and how bad.

I had a accident last weekend myself. I was knocked out for a few minutes and suffered a concussion. After going to the hospital and having a CT scan the doctor said everything was alright. Of course my next question was, when can I ride next? To my suprise he said I could start riding as long as I did not have a headache or feel nausea. I did what he said and took it day by day. By the end of the week I felt like I was able to ride and got out for a short spin. After feeling no symptoms on the ride I made plans to race on the weekend. I didn't know what to expect of my body from not training during the week. The number one goal was to be safe and not have a repeat. I was able to have a decent race considering it was only a week since the crash. Thanks to all my teammates, friends, and family who supported me as that is the one positive takeaway from a accident.

Parker Kyzer

The BMC Sparkle, Sparkles!

March 5, 2010 17:29 by Steve Baker

Former Hincapie Development Team rider, Chris Butler stopped by Hincapie Sportswear headquarters today with current Hincapie Devo member Blair Turner.  The duo was in town for the last weekend of the Greenville Spring Training Series.  It’s always nice to see these guys.  They are always up for a little fun, and this time we caught them on film clownin’ around.

These guys must not be eating much these days.  I don’t say that because they look super skinny (although they do).  I say that because they descended on the donuts and banana bread at our coffee bar like a couple of hawks to the kill!  We actually got a couple of great celebrity paparazzi shots with the whole mouth full, hand in front of the camera and the “this better not make the internet” fire in their eyes…ha ha.

After dusting the powdered sugar off their fingers, they started eying up the BMC Sparkle we have in the office to help dress up our women’s catalog photos.  Chris went through a very extensive bike fit at the BMC training camp, but I think he’s thinking of changing his position.  Check out this beauty…

Blair wanted to get his picture taken with none other than current World Champion, Cadel Evans.  He enjoyed the whole experience.  Afterwards, Blair said, “Cadel seems like a great guy.  He’s taller than I thought.”

Thanks for stopping by guys.  Best of luck in the races this weekend.  Keep your heads up and the wheels down!

Hincapie Development Team Opens Season

February 22, 2010 11:09 by Steve Baker

After a long hard winter (by South Carolina standards…ha ha) we saw some nice warm sunshine this weekend for the first weekend of the Greenville Spring Training Series.  It was awesome weather for racing bikes, especially in February.  Thanks to all the folks that came out to enjoy the first weekend of competition.

Jimmy Helms captured some of the action at the BMW Performance Center.

The Hincapie Development Team had several members racing this weekend and it was a great weekend for the team.  There were 6 of us in the Cat 3 races and several in the Pro,1,2 races.  The main goal was to get our legs under us and blow out the winter cobwebs.  The Cat 3 team worked well together and really affected the races in good ways.  We took some lessons we learned on Saturday and put them into practice on Sunday.  With a strong team riding smart, we helped create the winning break.  Hincapie Development Team rider, Justin Lowe managed a 6th place finish at the BMW Performance Center on Sunday.  Coach Neil Browne and the mentors teamed up with Devo rider, Parker Kyzer to control the field and help push the winning move up the road.  Great job team on the awesome teamwork and fun racing.

Eddie Helton took some awesome pictures this weekend. This is Justin Lowe leading the field.

Hincapie Development rider, Matt Lipscomb showed some early season fitness with some strong rides in the Pro,1,2 races.  Matt was animated the entire weekend, joining many breaks and demonstrating his abilities.  (Matt is heading over to Europe with the USA Junior National Team in the end of March, so he’s been training hard this winter.  You can tell he’s ready to take on the world in some early season Junior races in North Europe, including the Junior Paris-Roubaix.)  We’re glad to see Matt doing well early in the season.

Thanks to SCTAC (Donaldson Center) and the BMW Performance Center for letting us host races in both locations this weekend.  It was a great turnout and lots of fun.  Look for more updates following next weekend’s racing action.  Thanks to all our friends, family, sponsors and supporters for helping us make all this happen.

Justin Lowe leads Steve Baker and group at SCTAC on Saturday.

Parker Kyzer on his new BMC ProMachine, Oakley Jawbones and Giro Ionos. 

Parker Kyzer encouraging Coach Neil Browne...or is he saying great pull after Neil's monster effort...? 

You can see more of Eddie Helton's Photos at this website.

Start of the Season

February 16, 2010 12:49 by Kirk Flinte

This coming weekend starts the racing season for the Hincapie Development Team. The riders will be testing their winter training at the annual Greenville Spring Training Series. This race series is a great way for the riders to spend some real race miles getting to know each other and learning to ride together as a team. Although these races are not a major goal for the team, we hope to see a nice result or two from the guys. If you’re a racer in the South East, come to Greenville and pin-on a number alongside us or drop by the bus to say "Hello".

First 2010 Training Camp

February 12, 2010 00:06 by Steve Baker

The cold temperatures couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of the riders at the Hincapie Development Team Training Camp this weekend. The team got together in Greenville for the first time this season. George Hincapie joined us for the activities, as he always takes an active role in the development of the riders on the team. George's BMC teammate and former Hincapie Devo Team member, Chris Butler rode with the team as well.

The team did some training on some of George’s favorite roads around Greenville. Thanks to Ric and his fellow wrenches at The Great Escape bicycle shop, the team was rolling on their new BMC ProMachine bicycles. Everyone got comfortable on the new bikes, which were outfitted with Shimano Dura Ace components and Thomson stems and seat posts. These guys really are riding the best equipment in the world. Look for more photos and information on the team in upcoming posts.

George and Chris Butler setting a good tempo.