George Hincapie’s Paris-Roubaix preparations had an unwelcome disruption today when the American rider crashed twice during Scheldeprijs.
The American scraped his right hip and banged his left knee in the incidents. The first came 94 kilometres into the race, while the second one came inside the final 25 kilometres. He rode to the end of the finishing circuit and packed the race.
Hincapie said that he would assess the extent of his injuries tomorrow when he takes part in a scheduled reconnaissance of the cobbles the riders will face in Paris-Roubaix on Sunday.
“I'm really sore right now,” he said. It is not known if his actual participation in the Classic is under question.
Several other Paris-Roubaix contenders also fell during today’s Belgian event. Former winner Tom Boonen crashed twice, while Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervélo) was one of several riders who came down in the finishing sprint.
Hincapie has pinpointed Paris-Roubaix as the biggest remaining target of his pro career. He was second behind Tom Boonen in 2005, and has also placed fourth, fourth, sixth, sixth, eighth and ninth.
He showed good form on Sunday when he was sixth in the Tour of Flanders, prompting expectations that he could once again be battling for a strong result on the pavé. That will now depend on how he recovers from today’s injuries.
The BMC Racing Team had hoped that Taylor Phinney would take part in the race. He has had knee issues this season but had his fingers crossed that things would improve in time to get selection for the Classic. However it has been decided that he will not be ready in time; he will instead concentrate on regaining full fitness and targeting events later this season.