Hincapie
I'm glad someone else chimed in regarding Hincapie's comments and not me. I must confess that I can't stand the guy. It didn't matter that one of his teammates after RVV (the year that Boonen was on Postal, and rode him off his wheel while working for him) told me point blank "The guy will never will RVV, he doesn't have the head for it, much less the legs".
His status in my eyes started steeply downhill when it seemed like there was an auction for the San Francisco Grand Prix win from a 3 man break with 1 lap to go. Trent Klasna and Michael Barry, (Klasna was in top form at the time) the 2 riders in the break with him, on the same Saturn team no less, just seemed to go backwards after a little jump from GH and he ended up winning solo. Races get bought all the time, I have no issue with that. It's just the garbage out of his mouth after the race that was unbearable.
But that's not really the event that sunk him below cat 5 status with me. Does anyone remember the 2006 RVV when Leif Hoste went up the road with Boonen and lost to Boonen in the sprint to take second? Hoste rode a great race and went pull for pull with Boonen but lost in the sprint after what seemed like a "I'll probably lose the sprint to Tom but I'm going to give it my best shot anyway and jump early". 2nd that year to a superman Boonen was not a bad ride. The post race interview with George had him spewing the same crap. "It wasn't the plan today for Hoste to jump away like that. It should have been me and..." Here goes, "I had the legs". I felt it was the most disrespectful thing I'd ever heard from someone after their Belgian teammate just took second in the biggest race in their home country. Utterly classless and selfish.
And don't even start with his whining after not getting the yellow in the 2008 tour. Yes, it was all Astana's fault.....
Even at ones' worst, they make their own race. Where you put yourself in the pack and who's wheel you jump on or attack is either in you or not. Against the best, he's all excuses.