U19
Enzo Hincapie: Ten times up the ramp to the finish line
Enzo Hincapie grew up in a cycling family, and he is now taking the decisive step in his own career. Today he is competing in the Junior World Championships in Montréal.
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At this year’s Road World Championships in Canada, the finish line is in the same place for all races: on Avenue du Parc, where the road climbs at a gradient of around four per cent at the foot of Mount Royal. Enzo Hincapie has already tackled this climb once on Tuesday – at the end of the 20.3-kilometre individual time trial, which the young American finished in twelfth place. Today, he faces it ten times – at the end of each lap of the Junior World Road Race. Hincapie, part of the Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe junior team grenke – Auto Eder, is among the wider group of contenders for a medal.
Enzo Hincapie will represent the USA at the World Championships in Canada
© Maximilian Fries
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The World Championships race: tough and aggressive
A total of 134 kilometres and around 2,690 metres of climbing await the U19 riders – with no flat sections to catch their breath. A defining feature of the course is the Voie Camillien-Houde climb: 2.3 kilometres with an average gradient of 6.2 per cent, leading from the city centre up to Mount Royal. At the top, the Chemin de la Polytechnique follows with gradients of over 11 per cent, before the route heads back into the city and up the incline of Avenue du Parc to the finish.
Repeating this makes it tougher with every lap. I’m expecting a very tough and aggressive race.
This adds up to a total of 269 metres of elevation gain per lap – figures that, taken individually, wouldn’t scare anyone, but which are merciless when repeated ten times. And they’re not often seen even in junior cycling. “In the end, it’s less about a single mountain and more about who can suffer the most,” says Hincapie. “The repetition makes it tougher with every lap. I’m expecting a very tough and aggressive race.”
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The road to the World Championships: Strong in one-day races
It is precisely this profile that suits him. In his racing appearances in Europe, the 18-year-old has excelled particularly in long, gruelling one-day races: sixth place at Paris–Roubaix Juniors, a top-ten finish in the E3 Junior race and second place at the Gran Premi Les Franqueses in Spain, where riders had to tackle a very similar undulating circuit over 138 kilometres. He proved in June that he can also win such a race from the front: At the US Championships in Charleston, Hincapie attacked on the fifth of seven laps, rode away on his own and, after 101.5 kilometres, won the national junior title with a 50-second lead – the first-ever US championship title for Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe.
Enzo Hincapie in the famous Stars and Stripes jersey
© Enzo Hincapie
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The rider: From the USA to Europe
Cycling has been part of everyday life in the Hincapie family for as long as he can remember. His father, George Hincapie, was one of the finest classics riders of his generation, was among the top favourites for Paris–Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders for many years – and competed in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal in 2010 and 2011, on the very same circuit that today decides the World Championship medals. The name opens doors and creates expectations that an 18-year-old must first learn to cope with. Hincapie handles this calmly: he rarely refers to his heritage, but neither does he deny it. He has taken the crucial steps himself anyway – and they have made him one of the most promising talents in US cycling.
When you’re young, you look up to the riders who represent their country at a World Championship. Being part of that team and wearing the jersey is therefore something special.
The US national team jersey he’s wearing today certainly means a great deal to him. “Competing for the USA is a big deal for me,” says Hincapie. “When you’re young, you look up to the riders who represent their country at the World Championships. Being part of this team and wearing the jersey is therefore something special.” He sees the fact that the championships are taking place in North America less as a sporting advantage and more as a mental one: “I don’t know if it’s generally an advantage. But it’s close to home, and lots of friends and family members can come here and watch me race.”
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The aim: to give it your all
The past few weeks have been correspondingly quiet, during which he’s been preparing for the World Championships in his home country – alongside his team-mate Julius Løvstrup Birkedal, amongst others. “The most important thing was to arrive here feeling fresh yet lively,” explains Hincapie. “I’ve done a lot of training specifically tailored to the demands of the race. So over the past few days, the focus has mainly been on recovery, good food, a good night’s sleep – and staying mentally alert. The work is done. Now I just need to draw on it.” Nervousness is part and parcel of a World Championships, he says, but the anticipation of the race outweighs it.
In Canada, Hincapie is among the wider group of favourites for a medal.
© Maximilian Fries
Hincapie set his benchmark for this World Championship early on, and Tuesday’s time trial hasn’t changed that. “I want to finish both races feeling that I’ve given it my all,” he says. “Of course I have goals in terms of results, but I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. If I manage the race well, ride aggressively and know at the end that I’ve left everything out there, I’ll be satisfied.” He has one chance to do just that: ten laps, ten times up the ramp on the Avenue du Parc – and the finish line on the final lap.
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