'High speeds, travelling and suffering' propel Enzo Hincapie's road career

Enzo Hincapie is one of the youngest riders on the EF Education-ONTO development team, and doesn’t turn 16 to qualify for his driver’s licence until June 20. But who needs four wheels? The middle child of former WorldTour rider George HIncapie and wife Melanie, Enzo Hincapie is the one who has adopted two wheels to experience “high speeds, travelling and suffering”. 

There’s a special nucleus of the cycling world in the Upstate of South Carolina, nestled on the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where Enzo Hincapie has been enveloped by the family’s bicycle-related enterprises, Hotel Domestique, a 13-room luxury hotel, and Hincapie Sportswear, manufacturer of cycling apparel, as well as roots in racing.

He already has six medals, three of them gold, from road national championships as a junior, his team director Rusty Miller describing him as "an astonishing young talent". He won national titles in both the criterium and road race in 2022, then followed at the 15-16 age category last year with the win in the road race and a silver in the time trial. 

That talent is being polished and shaped not just by Miller, but influenced by a small universe of family friends, who were stars on road bikes themselves: Olympic silver medalist Bobby Julich and fourth-place GC finisher in the 2012 Tour de France Christian Vande Velde were teammates for Team CSC (2005-2007). They also shared time on trade teams with George Hincapie earlier in their careers - Julich at Motorola from 1995-1996 and Vande Velde at US Postal from 1999-2003 - and now everyone calls Greenville home.

The trio can sometimes be seen cheering for the younger Hincapie at races. This year’s EF Education-ONTO team starts the 2024 season at the Valley of the Sun stage race this week, but Hincapie will not get a start as he recovers from a recent illness. “He’s going to rest, reset, and then take things week by week,” said Miller.

Before racing ramps up for Enzo Hincapie, he shared stories with Cyclingnews about learning to love his bicycle without training wheels, riding near Paris Mountain, his goal to defend the US Men’s Junior (15-16) road race national title and more.

Cyclingnews: Do you remember your very first ride on a bicycle? 

Enzo Hincapie: Yes, I remember my first ride without training wheels. It didn’t end too well, haha. In the first five minutes I went over the bars and knocked out my two front teeth. My parents had to encourage me for the longest time to ride my bike as I wasn’t much of a fan until I started racing, and actually learning about the sport and the amazing things that come out of it.

CN: You live in Greenville, South Carolina where the family business, Hincapie Sportswear, is based. Tell us a little about your hometown.

EH: I live right beside Paris Mountain and I like to end my rides going up Paris. At school I enjoy learning about different parts of the world. When I’m not cycling I love hanging with my family and my friends. I also enjoy watching TV shows/movies, cooking, etc.

All of my race and training clothes are mainly made by Hincapie Sportswear. I really enjoy wearing the ride clothes because they look and feel good. I have been a model for some of their kits a few times! 

CN: What do you enjoy about riding on the road and what skills do you want to improve through your racing?

EH: I love riding and racing on the road because it is just a completely different feeling, like everything is just in slow motion. I love the experiences, high speeds, travelling and suffering. All the factors and more make cycling the sport for me. I personally enjoy the long road stage races out of everything else, because you have many different opportunities to make something happen. And in the road races there is more climbing compared to crits which is something I really enjoy.

One thing I feel like I could work on is my sprinting. Because it’s just such a challenging part of the sport and it comes with many split seconds decisions, timing and positioning.

CN: Your mother Melanie is from France, so do you get to travel to France and visit family? What about your French heritage do you think is most special? And do you speak French well?

EH: I don’t get to travel to France to visit my family often. Although I was in France for the Tour de l’Ain and was able to see my grandfather for two days which was very nice because I haven’t seen him in a very long time. I think the food and family time is very special in my French heritage. I speak OK French but I understand more than I can speak, but I am still learning it.

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CN: Former pro cyclists Bobby Julich and Christian Vande Velde are family friends and now live in Greenville. How are they like family to you? What have you learned from them about cycling?

EH: Yes Bobby and Christian are very good influences to me and I am so grateful to have them in my life and to be able to learn from them, I’m also especially grateful for my dad and mom because they always push me and want me to be the best version of myself on and off the bike. I’ve learned everything I know from all of them. 

CN: What was it like to win your first US road race championship in 2022? It was a large group sprint, so what was the difference for you?

EH: For me winning my first-ever national championships was like a dream. It didn’t feel real, the emotions were just flooding and I didn’t know what to think. I was just so happy and proud of all the work I had put in so far and it made me even more hungry to win more races.

CN: In 2023 you were in a breakaway with Brady Hogue and defended your stars-and-stripes jersey. Tell me about your tactics with just two of you at the end.

EH: For the 2023 national road championships, I tried to preserve as much energy until I felt like the time was right to attack and see if I could get into a break. Once I was in the break I just tried to keep calm and not waste too much energy. Eventually I started attacking to try and tire everyone out. And when it came down to the sprint I was very patient and waited until the last second to jump around to defend my Stars and Stripes. 

CN: Hard work goes into winning a national title. How would you describe your preparation? 

EH: Yes, cycling is a very hard sport both mentally and physically especially when it comes to preparing for big races. For me I try to eat as clean as possible and fuel right. I also strive everyday to get the best out of my training and make sure I feel like I gave it everything I had. But balance is very important, especially at my age. 

CN: A month before the 2023 US Junior Road Nationals you competed in the Gran Fondo Hincapie Lehigh Valley, and won the 79-mile route. Did you know you beat the Gran Fondo World Champion Bruce Bird, who is triple your age? 

EH: Yes I spoke with Bruce a few different times before, during, and after the race. He was super polite and easy to talk to. I actually didn’t know he was Gran Fondo world champion, so that was pretty cool to find out.

CN: Your EF Education-ONTO team completed winter camp several weeks ago. Tell us about that and about some of your goals for racing this year.

EH: I believe my team EF Education-ONTO is a very special team because we all get along with each other. We are all very talented and strong riders, and we all just love the sport which can take us a long way. At my team camp I had a few different highlights, including meeting my new teammates, being able to race against them, the long rides, and just spending time with everyone. Some of my goals for this year is to defend my title at nationals, and do well in races in Europe. There are some plans to go to Europe with the US National Team for 15/16s as of now.

CN: You started 2024 in Detroit racing on the track. What makes track fun for you?

EH: My favorite track discipline was probably the Madison because it was so fast and you had to keep your head on a swivel the whole time. The fast speeds, adrenaline, and hard short efforts is what made track very fun for me.

CN: Who are a couple of the current road pros who are role models for you, and what do you like about their riding styles the most?

EH: A current pro who is my role model is definitely Mathieu van der Poel because he is so talented! And is really good at every discipline he does. I love his riding style and how he smashes all the ‘cross races. He makes races super interesting to watch.

CN: As you progress on the road, what three races would you like to win?

EH: In the next five years I would love to win a stage of the Tour De France, The World Championships and Paris-Roubaix.