Hincapie most wins ever?

[newbiefan]

Before everyone goes crazy lets get the ground rules straight.

Chances are if you are reading this you realize that cycling is a team sport, now lets give teammates on a cycling team the same kind of treatment that other sports teams get when they are successful. For example when Tom Brady wins the superbowl the whole team, even the kicker, backup QB and the linebacker coach are considered to be champions.

So with that, lets give all teammates of each cycling team that same recognition. So when Armstrong won the TDF, with Hincapie, he was part of that winning team. As well when one of his teammates won a stage or he himself won the whole team is considered to have won. The question is has Hincapie been a part of the most winning teams in the history of cycling?

Lets include all Pro races, Grand Tours, one day classics, all of them. Does anyone rival the amount of times Big George has been on a winning team.

Off the top of my head, and as my name suggests I am a Newbie:
7 TDF with LA
1 TDF with AC
countless stage wins with Postal and Discovery and Highroad/Columbia.

Who else comes close, maybe Eddy Merckx.

Your thoughts?

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

If you'll allow me to be blunt, your screen name says it all.

Eddy Merckx won way more races than you realize.

If you're looking for riders on winning teams of GT's, including domestiques and wins, It's an interesting discussion, but I don't know that George is at the top there. Even just looking at PT wins, José Luis Arrieta carried water bottles and lead the way for Miguel Indurain and many, many other Banesto wins from about 1992-2000. Don't know how true it really is, but the word is that when Mig retired, he bought Jose his house for him.

Scott Moninger won way more races than Hincapie outright, as far as American riders go. Though most of those were domestic. Not sure just how many international wins Davis Phinney had in his career, but it was likely far more than George. Phinney won so many races his nickname was "The Cash Register".

 

[newbiefan]

WOW Eddy did win a lot, I had no idea it was that much.
Thanks for the info, I have a lot to learn!!

 

[cromagnon]

Don't know how true it really is, but the word is that when Mig retired, he bought Jose his house for him.

When no one in a sport like cycling has a bad word to say about a guy that wins 5 tours, you can be pretty sure he was a regular down to earth guy that might do something like this. Not a fake with a media image but is completely different behind the scenes.

438 wins for Eddy Merckx according to that link but it's actually 525 according to wikipedia. A lot anyway. Plus the Hour record which to this day has only been beaten by quite a small margin despite all the training and dietary knowledge.

 

[Bluebeard]

To be honest, I think that Hinault and Kelly both put Hincapie in the shade with wins before you add in the slightly less impressive assist figures.

 

[sherer]

When no one in a sport like cycling has a bad word to say about a guy that wins 5 tours, you can be pretty sure he was a regular down to earth guy that might do something like this. Not a fake with a media image but is completely different behind the scenes.

438 wins for Eddy Merckx according to that link but it's actually 525 according to wikipedia. A lot anyway. Plus the Hour record which to this day has only been beaten by quite a small margin despite all the training and dietary knowledge.

doesn't Merckx still hold the hour record at altitude ?

 

[cromagnon]

doesn't Merckx still hold the hour record at altitude ?

No idea, nothing about Eddy would surprise me (I hear he did reconnaisance of the hour record track in february when it was snowing but ... oh sorry wrong forum )

 

[issoisso]

Hincapie was in a team that won a few Tours and Dauphinés. That's it. Several hundreds of riders have been on teams that have won far more.

Heck, quite a few riders have many more wins by themselves without counting the rest of the teams they were on
(And by "many more wins than Hincapie", I mean "at least ten times the wins that Hincapie has by that criteria")

Really, in terms of number of wins, Hincapie hasn't been on teams that have won that much at all

It's not about quantity with Hincapie, it's about quality. He's been in teams that have won very big races (mostly just the Tour and the Dauphiné).

 

[Astana1]

If you'll allow me to be blunt, your screen name says it all.

Eddy Merckx won way more races than you realize.

If you're looking for riders on winning teams of GT's, including domestiques and wins, It's an interesting discussion, but I don't know that George is at the top there. Even just looking at PT wins, José Luis Arrieta carried water bottles and lead the way for Miguel Indurain and many, many other Banesto wins from about 1992-2000. Don't know how true it really is, but the word is that when Mig retired, he bought Jose his house for him.

Scott Moninger won way more races than Hincapie outright, as far as American riders go. Though most of those were domestic. Not sure just how many international wins Davis Phinney had in his career, but it was likely far more than George. Phinney won so many races his nickname was "The Cash Register".

To allow me to be blunt; you could have made your point without that first line. But instead of sounding knowledgable you came off as a know it all.

 

[Astana1]

Hincapie probably added to the quality and the quantity with the wins he was part of with Cavendish, Boss-Hog and company in the past two years.

 

[nightfend]

Really, in terms of number of wins, Hincapie hasn't been on teams that have won that much at all

Huh? Is that sarcasm? Columbia has been winning races left and right for the last two years...So if you are counting assists, then Hincapie has quite a few.

I mean, for 2008 they had 84 wins. And I'm pretty sure they topped that number this year.

 

[eric_vv]

I mean, for 2008 they had 84 wins. And I'm pretty sure they topped that number this year.

That sounds great but Hincapie wasn't involved in all (or probably even most) wins. Now consider a team like TI-Raleigh had close to 1000 wins (wiki number so probably somewhat inflated) in 10 years between 1974-1983. And that's with smaller squads at that time. Any rider who was involved in that team during more than a couple of years at that time has been involved in far more wins than Hincapie.

And that's just the first example I can come up with (being Dutch TI-Raleigh is an obvious choice). There have been similar teams who won a lot. The Italian team containing both Coppi and Bartali must have won loads.

 

[sherer]

Huh? Is that sarcasm? Columbia has been winning races left and right for the last two years...So if you are counting assists, then Hincapie has quite a few.

I mean, for 2008 they had 84 wins. And I'm pretty sure they topped that number this year.

they may have had a lot of wins but was George riding for them during each of those wins ?

Sometimes they can be racing in two places at the same time. Plus what constitutes a win, if they get a stage win during a stage race but not the overall is that counted ?

 

[sherer]

to be honest cycling doesn't really work with assists as a ride could have an off day and not do any work for the team at all but the star rider could still win.

It was a nice idea to start a thread and the OP says he he a newbie so no harm done i don't think assists work in this sport

 

[pmcg76]

Maybe a more logical thread would be 'Is Hincapie the best domestique ever' and we might have a more relevant, sensible thread in which direct comparisons can be made.

Imagine how many wins Cipos or Petacchis leadout men who would have in comparison to George.

 

[flicker]

Boy George

Had the power and endurance but not the savvy to propel himself into many Classics wins.

To bad for him. I enjoy his open "Flycatcher mouth" when he is victorious in sprints and his 5 o-clock shadow.

Oh yeah he is articulate in his interviews.

 

[dblueroom]

does mark cavendish ever race against greipel?

Renshaw should switch team, but without a lead out train like columbia, he is probably nothing significant. gerald cioleck used to lead out mark cav, but now end up in a weak milram and doing all the work.

 

[fatandfast]

Scott Moniger has more wins than Boy George, I don't think they ever were on the same team. I am pretty sure Moniger is the most winning US rider so far

 

[newbiefan]

The rider will only get an assist if he is riding with the team in that race. That was my original intention. Eddy has the most wins and probably assisted on some of his teammates wins as well. So I'd bet he is the winningest rider ever. But again I don't know, not sure if a statistic like it even exists.

A good thread would be who is the best domestique of all time.

 

[fatandfast]

Cycling has no "feel good "points. Assists are in football, hockey and nursing homes. No trophy for the best assister. When you look at the stats it tells the story, the sportswear and off bike interests have gained lots of cash but no race results.PS the US Pro should still be in Philli where it belongs, Did George drive to the race or leave from his garage, he probably still would have won but it's the principle.Long live the wall! Yes I was pulling for you Gripe at the worlds.