BMC Racing rider George Hincapie’s big goal of defending his US champion’s jersey could be at risk after a big crash during yesterday’s second stage of the Tour of Utah.
The 37 year old had to get 18 stitches to his knee after the stage, and this injury will force him to take over a week off the bike. He also suffered cuts to his right shoulder and face in the fall, which happened nearly halfway through the 124 kilometre race to Mount Nebo.
The accident occurred when he swerved to avoid another rider, causing his wheel to wash away from under him. “I rode into a bit of gravel and my front wheel went out,” Hincapie said. “Crashing is never a good thing. I'm definitely concerned with my knee and how much time I'm going to have to take off the bike. It's not a good time for that.”
While the disruption to his schedule is certainly not welcome, directeur sportif John Lelangue said that it was important to keep in mind that the outcome could have been worse. He said that the most important thing was that the Greensville rider didn’t break any bones, thus keeping open his chances of defending his title on home soil.
If things go to plan, he hopes that he can ride the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec on September 10th and the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, which takes place two days later. Those ProTour races would give him a chance to get in a good workout one week before the nationals.
"We'll see how it goes in the coming days and if he has the possibility to race the two ProTour races in Canada, just to get him two more racing days and more training," Lelangue said. "I hope to see him at 100 percent for nationals because it's a special race, he's the defending champion and he's at home."
Hincapie won’t lack any determination to get ready, but much will depend on how his injury heals. The BMC Racing Team’s doctor Max Testa said that the rider is going to be forced to take ten days off the bike. That leaves him 21 days to catch up with his lost form, then try to sharpen up for the nationals. It’s clear that it is going to be a race against time to be ready.
Testa said that more will be known in the next day or two. "We'll monitor him closely the next 24 hours and then make a plan for his recovery," he explained. “We can't make a determination yet whether he'll be able to defend his title.”