September 3, 2006 – Greenville resident and Tour de France stage winner George Hincapie (Discovery Channel Professional Cycling Team) outlasted a 102-rider field and outsprinted his future teammate Levi Leipheimer (Team Gerolsteiner) to capture his second Stars and Stripes jersey in his career. Hincapie, who won the national road race title in 1998, won today’s USA Cycling Professional Road Race Championships, presented by Charter Communications, in a time of 4 hour 47 minutes and 15 seconds. Leipheimer followed only 16 seconds behind in a final time of 4.47’31″, and Danny Pate (Team TIAA-CREF) finished third in 4.48’35″, one minute and 20 seconds back.

The challenging 120.5-mile course included five long circuits of 21.85 miles each and a climb up Paris Mountain, a prominent ridge reaching an elevation of 1,872 feet in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The fourth climb up Paris Mountain became the decisive break when nine riders broke away and became the only riders who would finish the final three downtown circuits. A field of 102 American professionals started the race, and 31 completed the challenging event.

Hincapie and Leipheimer, two of four ProTour riders in the field, were considered favorites coming into the race. In addition, defending champion Chris Wherry (Toyota-United Professional Cycling) was expected to make a challenge and he finished fifth overall.  One of the most aggressive riders of the day was Andrew Bajadali (Jelly Belly), who won two Verizon Wireless King of the Paris Mountain competitions. Bajadali joined Hincapie and Leipheimer in downtown Greenville as the race leaders during the final three downtown circuits, but faded to finish sixth. The three other Verizon Wireless King of Paris Mountain climbs were won by TIAA-CREF’s Lucas Euser (first lap), Leipheimer (second lap) and Hincapie (fifth lap).

“It was definitely a race of attrition. I hoped that everybody went hard up the hill every time. I knew that it was going to be really hard and I was really dead at the end, but I knew that if I’m dead everybody else has gotta be even more dead,” said Hincapie, whose wife Melanie presented him the national championship jersey on the award podium. “Levi was really super strong today and I just attacked him with one K to go, put everything I had into it and it worked out. It was great.”  Leipheimer has signed a contract to race with the Discovery Channel Professional Cycling Team for 2007.

Rain dampened the course in the final hour, but did not diminish a crowd estimated to be 45,000 people. Thousands of spectators cheered enthusiastically for Hincapie and Craig Lewis (Team TIAA-CREF), another Greenville resident. Lewis, who has won two Under-23 national championships already this year (criterium and road race), finished 20th in the road race today. David Zabriskie (Team CSC), who won the Individual Time Trial championship on Friday, did not finish the race.

“The crowd was amazing. Everywhere I saw my name on the road,  which are roads that I ride on everyday, and I heard my name from the beginning to end. And to have my family right here at the end of the race is just an amazing experience, really emotional,” Hincapie added.

The weekend of activities drew 62,000 spectators to Greenville and the Upstate area of South Carolina. On Friday, Zabriskie won the USA Cycling Professional Individual Time Trial Championship, presented by The Cliffs. On Saturday, the Rock and Roll for Cancer Research provided entertainment for fans on a rest day for the riders, including a Sister Hazel concert and a fundraiser bicycle ride, the Palmetto Peloton Project. Through Sunday morning the Palmetto Peloton Project had raised $82,000 for the Greenville Hospital System Oncology Research Institute and The Lance Armstrong Foundation.

The Sunday road race marked the first time that the professional championship had been held outside Philadelphia. It was also the first time in 21 years of the event that the field was comprised solely of American-only riders (U.S. citizens, open to members of UCI-registered trade teams only).

For complete final results, race photos and athlete quotes, visit the official event website at www.usacyclingchampionships.com.

Results (brief) – 194.6 kms

1 George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) 4.47.15
2 Levi Leipheimer (Gerolsteiner) 0.16
3 Danny Pate (TIAA Cref) 1.20
4 Burke Swindlehurst (Navigators Insurance) 1.25
5 Chris Wherry (Toyota United) 1.38
6 Andrew Badjadali (Jelly Belly) 1.49
7 Ben Jaques-Maynes (Kodakgallery.com/Sierra Nevada) 2.39
8 Phil Zajicek (Navigators Insurance)
9 Blake Cladwell (TIAA Cref) 2.51
10 Will Frischkorn (TIAA Cref) 9.15
11 Justin England (Toyota United) 9.30
12 Todd Herriot (Colavita Olive Oil) 10.46
13 Bernard Vanulden (Navigators Insurance) 12.39
14 Shawn Milne (Navigators Insurance) 13.08
15 Peter Stetina (TIAA Cref) 13.09
16 Matt Shriver (TargeTraining)
17 Neil Shirley (Jittery Joe’s ) 13.10
18 Bryan Smith (TIAA Cref) 13.11
19 Curtis Gunn (Team Successfulliving.com) 13.12
20 Craig Lewis (TIAA Cref) 13.13
21 Steven Cozza (TIAA Cref)
22 Tim Johnson (Health Net/Maxxis)
23 Todd Henrikson (VMG Racing)
24 Hugh Moran (AEG-TOSHIBA-JetNetwork)
25 Tom Zirbel (Priority Health) 13.15
26 Justin Spinelli (Nerac/Outdoorlights.com) 13.16
27 Eneas Freyre (TargeTraining)
28 Lucas Euser (TIAA Cref) 13.18
29 Ian McGregor (TIAA Cref) 13.19
30 Todd Wells (TargeTraining) 15.08
31 Jeff Louder (Health Net/Maxxis) 18.36