Discovery Channel Pro cyclist George Hincapie crashed twice yesterday in the famed Paris-Roubaix and was unable to finish. The last crash apparently a result of the first incident happened when his aluminum steer tube broke at the intersection with the stem.
“George was in a crash earlier in the day, but due to race conditions and his comments that everything seemed fine, we did not change to his back up bike” said Johan Bruyneel, Sports Manager of the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team.
At the time of the second crash, George was commenting to team directors that he felt looseness in his steering; he thought his head-set may have come loose as a result of the earlier crash. Team directors were determining when and how to swap to his replacement bike when George entered another rough section of cobbles and crashed.
“I believe that the first crash set the stage for the big crash”, said Bruyneel. “Section after section the vibrations just kept coming until the damaged steerer gave loose. We have been racing and winning on Trek products for the last seven years. We have the utmost confidence in their products, from design, to testing, to manufacturing. We have been very impressed.” Bruyneel continued.
“The cobbles do not discriminate”, said Julien De Vriese, a forty year veteran mechanic and the teams Head Mechanic.
Trek is bringing the fork and the bike back to the United States where they will receive a thorough evaluation.
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