Road Race, Greenville, S.C. 2012 USPRO Cycling Championships, May 28, 2012Over the past few days, some of the best American men and women cyclists have been converging on Chattanooga, and starting tomorrow they will battle for the right to wear the Stars and Stripes jersey as the time trial or road race champion of the USA Cycling Professional National Championships.
“To wear the national championship jersey as a pro in Europe or anywhere here in this country is an honor,” said recently retired pro cyclist George Hincapie during a visit to the city this month. “The pros take it quite seriously, so they’re all very excited about coming here to win that jersey.”
This weekend Chattanooga will begin a three-year run as the host for the event, which began in 1985 in Philadelphia and is coming off a seven-year run in Greenville, S.C.
Hincapie, a three-time U.S. road race champion who lives in Greenville, said recently he thinks that moving the event from his hometown to Chattanooga will boost cycling locally and beyond.
“I loved that it was in Greenville,” he said. “It was great for promoting the sport there, but it’s also good to bring it to a new city and have other people exposed to that type of event. At the end of the day, it’s good for cycling.