![\"Screen](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/crankpunk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/screen-shot-2014-10-23-at-13-39-35.png?resize=830%2C386&ssl=1\")
alternate realities? string theory, perhaps, where near-identical universes thrum alongside each other, where other variations of you live out their existence doing the same stuff but with different outcomes? or the confirmation that the world has truly gone bat-shit crazy?<\/p>\n
.<\/p>\n
whatever it is, George Hincapie and his cheery band of fellow travelers have somehow managed – again – to write their own histories. Hincapie IS NOT a drug cheat. he is in fact a good ol’ boy who gave and still gives a whole load of something back to cycling. god bless him and the flea-bitten horse called Hypocrisy he rode in on.<\/p>\n
.<\/p>\n
for his Gran Fraudo this year, a whole raft of guys who know a crapload about hiding needle marks will be attending. Lance will be there, Michael Barry and Tom Danielson too. Dave Zabriskie was supposed to join in but has since said he can’t make it – perhaps he’s realised the absurdity of this thing that is nothing less than a de facto celebration of cheating to win. perhaps not.<\/p>\n
.<\/p>\n
a whopping 27 sponsors are lining up for the ride, that costs $215 to enter on the line. a gran fondo in Europe will cost somewhere in the region from $30 to $100. and it’s not a difference in scale – La Marmotte in France draws up to 7000 people and the cost is 50 euro. not quite sure why Georde’s Fraudiolo is so expensive – maybe you’re paying per doper?<\/p>\n
.<\/p>\n
cos you sure get your money’s worth if that is the case.<\/p>\n
.<\/p>\n
some are going to say ‘but hey, this is for CHARITY.’ well whoop-de-doo. let’s rewind. the reason these guys are drawing crowds is because they are famous, successful ex-professional bike riders. the reason these guys are famous, successful ex-professional riders is because they doped so very well and had the cash to get away with it. the message here is that doping pays. and the ‘it’s for charity’ stuff – only the truly naiive would fail to see that this can be used as a cloak to deflect criticism. it also means a nice little tax-break at the same time – double ker-ching.<\/p>\n
.<\/p>\n
there are countless other ex-pros out there who NEVER doped who would be happy to do a ride for charity who are not<\/em> raging sociopaths, but for whom nowhere near enough people would turn out. why? because people are just plain f*cking stupid. if you are going to this event then yes, you also, are firmly tucked away in that category. and a quick note on Alex Howes (Garmin-Sharp, and why is Vaughters letting you go?<\/em>) and Matthew Busche (Trek Factory Racing), Brent Brookwalter, Tejay Van Garderen and Larry Warbasse (all BMC) – sort your shit out, fellas. you can read their reasons for doing this here at VeloNews<\/a> – but be warned, cos it MAKES NO SENSE. it will hurt your head.<\/p>\n .<\/p>\n George has this to say on the whole Fraud thing:<\/p>\n alternate realities? string theory, perhaps, where near-identical universes thrum alongside each other, where other variations of you live out their existence doing the same stuff but with different outcomes? or the confirmation that the world has truly gone bat-shit crazy? . whatever it is, George Hincapie and his cheery band of fellow travelers have somehow managed – again – to write their own histories. Hincapie IS NOT a drug cheat. he is in fact a good ol’ boy who gave and still gives a whole load of something back to cycling. god bless him and the flea-bitten horse called Hypocrisy he rode in on. . for his Gran Fraudo this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40955418,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","wpupg_custom_link":[],"wpupg_custom_link_behaviour":[],"wpupg_custom_link_nofollow":[],"wpupg_custom_image":[],"wpupg_custom_image_id":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[119818829,159546164],"tags":[525984,77823,10242,236710,1468740,1102945],"class_list":["post-4694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dopepunk","category-punkopinion","tag-armstrong","tag-doping","tag-george","tag-gran-fondo","tag-hincapie","tag-zabriskie"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2OfoS-1dI","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4131,"url":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/2014\/05\/05\/gran-fondos-dopers-why-we-have-to-make-a-stand-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":4694,"position":0},"title":"gran fondos & dopers: why we have to make a stand","author":"Lee Rodgers","date":"5\u6708 5, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"reposting after a commentator pointed out that Big Georgey H must be alright because a bunch of current American professionals have attended his Gran Fondo. quite how that makes sense i am not sure... \u00a0","rel":"","context":"george","block_context":{"text":"george","link":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/tag\/george\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4108,"url":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/2014\/05\/01\/the-curious-case-of-george-hincapie\/","url_meta":{"origin":4694,"position":1},"title":"the curious case of George Hincapie","author":"Lee Rodgers","date":"5\u6708 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I do not know where to start when it comes to George Hincapie. Ex-Lance Armstrong teammate, ongoing Lance apologist, ex-doper, supergrass, writer, hotelier, clothing entrepreneur, and team sponsor. George wears so many hats that we really shouldn\u2019t be surprised that even he gets confused from time to time as to\u2026","rel":"","context":"dopepunk","block_context":{"text":"dopepunk","link":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/category\/dopepunk\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23650,"url":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/2025\/11\/30\/anything-wrong-with-allowing-a-retired-doper-the-opportunity-to-create-a-cycling-team-the-ever-more-curious-case-of-george-hincapie\/","url_meta":{"origin":4694,"position":2},"title":"Anything Wrong With Allowing A Retired Doper The Opportunity To Create A Cycling Team? The Ever More Curious Case of George Hincapie","author":"Lee Rodgers","date":"11\u6708 30, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I put this off for as ling as I could, but... well, here we go again!","rel":"","context":"dopepunk","block_context":{"text":"dopepunk","link":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/category\/dopepunk\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/crankpunk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-30-at-5.43.00-PM.png?fit=794%2C802&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/crankpunk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-30-at-5.43.00-PM.png?fit=794%2C802&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/crankpunk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-30-at-5.43.00-PM.png?fit=794%2C802&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/crankpunk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-30-at-5.43.00-PM.png?fit=794%2C802&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4304,"url":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/2014\/06\/17\/cyclingnews-please-grow-some-testicles\/","url_meta":{"origin":4694,"position":3},"title":"CyclingNews! please grow some testicles!","author":"Lee Rodgers","date":"6\u6708 17, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"thankfully, cyclingnews continues to churn out bland, boring and altogether snoozy nooz stories so at least i have something to help put me into a deep 8-hour coma of a night. where would i be without you, cyclingnews? probably knee-deep in empty boxes of Ambien... predictable, lumbering, devoid of any\u2026","rel":"","context":"8\u4ef6\u306e\u30b3\u30e1\u30f3\u30c8\u4ed8\u304d","block_context":{"text":"8\u4ef6\u306e\u30b3\u30e1\u30f3\u30c8\u4ed8\u304d","link":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/2014\/06\/17\/cyclingnews-please-grow-some-testicles\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1211,"url":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/2012\/12\/09\/bradley-wiggins-launches-own-fred-perry-range\/","url_meta":{"origin":4694,"position":4},"title":"Bradley Wiggins launches own Fred Perry range","author":"Lee Rodgers","date":"12\u6708 9, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"seems like El Wiggo is following in the footsteps of George Hincapie with his latest venture. nothing to do with high powered performance enhancing drugs, no, but rather taking a leaf out of FashionistaGeorge's book and starting a clothing line, in conjunction with the Englishman's beloved Fred Perry brand. we\u2026","rel":"","context":"clothing","block_context":{"text":"clothing","link":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/category\/clothing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/crankpunk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/screen-shot-2012-12-09-at-e4b88be58d8812-53-08.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/crankpunk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/screen-shot-2012-12-09-at-e4b88be58d8812-53-08.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/crankpunk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/screen-shot-2012-12-09-at-e4b88be58d8812-53-08.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3723,"url":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/2014\/02\/28\/dont-buy-ogradys-book\/","url_meta":{"origin":4694,"position":5},"title":"don’t buy O’Grady’s book","author":"Lee Rodgers","date":"2\u6708 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Confessed dopers Tyler Hamilton, Levi Leipheimer and George Hincapie are rumoured to be planning a surprise party for Stuart O\u2019Grady, welcoming him to the club. It\u2019s a very select club, one that refused entry to the likes of Jan Ulrich, Floyd Landis and Riccardo Ricco. In Ulrich\u2019s case it seems\u2026","rel":"","context":"dopepunk","block_context":{"text":"dopepunk","link":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/category\/dopepunk\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/crankpunk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/g10484_u21348_stuart_o_grady.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Lee Rodgers","author_link":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/author\/crankpunk\/"},"rttpg_comment":32,"rttpg_category":"dopepunk<\/a> punkopinion<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"alternate realities? string theory, perhaps, where near-identical universes thrum alongside each other, where other variations of you live out their existence doing the same stuff but with different outcomes? or the confirmation that the world has truly gone bat-shit crazy? . whatever it is, George Hincapie and his cheery band of fellow travelers have somehow…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40955418"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4694"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4694\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17416,"href":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4694\/revisions\/17416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n“The Fondo is not supposed to have an intended or implied message; at least that\u2019s not what we are shooting for,” he bleated. “It\u2019s just a celebration of cycling with friends<\/em> [italics mine] and fans that also supports what we feel are important causes.”<\/div>\n<\/div>\n.<\/div>\n<\/div>\na celebration of cyclists who doped<\/em>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nlet’s get that straight.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n“The Fondo also helps promote what a great region this is for cycling, and brings people here to ride. It even gets people who may have never thought about getting on a bike to challenge themselves and try it out. I have a few personal friends that are now totally into cycling as a result of the event, and it has changed their life.”<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u00a0.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n[hand slaps forehead].<\/div>\n<\/div>\n.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nGeorge, the crap you and your buddies got up to changed many lives too – it forced countless riders from pursuing a career in a peloton they knew was dirty, it robbed clean riders of victories and contracts, and it worked the dirty great stain that is doping in cycling ever deeper into the fabric.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u00a0.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nenjoy that alternate reality lads. looks like you’re having a blast.<\/div>\n_________________________________<\/div>\n<\/div>\nmy previous article on George Hincapie can be viewed here<\/a><\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"