And then nobody spoke

[photo of Hincapie's legs via sfist]

UPDATE 1: in the meantime, Trek has announced that the fork will be returned to US headquarters for 'thorough examination'. To be continued? Thanks to John for the update.

UPDATE 2: apparently, Hincapie will not be needing surgery after all. He will be "off the bike for about a week but look forward to resuming my training and to be in form for my next scheduled race the Dauphiné Libéré in early June followed by the Tour de France in July." Looking forward to that too.

Celebrity endorsement: it's one of the most common aspects of modern-day cycling. Every brand of apparel or equipment is eager to link its name to a professional team. Preferably a successful one, of course. The die-hard cycling fans (especially the material freaks, a category I do not belong to for reasons of a financial nature) are always curious to learn more about the latest models, the latest cranks, forks, handlebars, carbon alloys, ... And yes: it's not only about image-building, it's probably about sales figures too.

No wonder that Trek, the famous American bike brand, was anxious to tell the world about the Paris-Roubaix prototype they had built especially for Discovery Channel rider and potential Paris-Roubaix 2006 winner George Hincapie.

Unfortunately, reality stepped in: on the 3 km cobblestone sector at Mons-en-Pévèle, CSC rider Cancellara attacked, causing quite some painful grins on the faces behind. And there came the disaster for Discovery: George Hincapie's aluminium steerer tube broke and he was left riding rudderless on the cobbles. He crashed on his right side, and had to watch the race go away   without him (in the meantime it has been established he will need some surgery on the shoulder).

Funny thing is that so far neither Trek nor Bontrager, the firm that produces the wheels and components, have commented on what happened. Early days? Of course it is. But I am curious  to see how they are going to react. And I guess so are the (probably many) Trek customers across the world (or at least those who are into cycling races)... If the companies' PR people fail to react in an open and transparent way, chances are that others will, I suppose. I, for one, am curious to see what will come of this. Unless the peloton's renowned 'omerta' includes the refusal to comment on the equipment too...

Personal note: Hincapie's comment during the Paris-Roubaix reconnaissance trip ( 'I'm hitting every hole, I'm trying to break them') does sound a bit ironic now, doesn't it? Hope he recovers quickly!

Comments

[Josh]

I hope they take this information into account for their next design regardless of PR approach. Generally, the company appears to have taken design seriously in the past from their own PR - hence tauting of the prototype. From my cycling experience, after a crash, accidents and failures can happen particularly in a race, so it will be interesting to see what they share.

I hope the disapointment is less painful for George than the physical injuries and he recovers quickly.

[Simon Collister]

Interesting case study, Serge.

I fear that the history of denial in cycling circles will perhaps kick into gear on this one. After all, like you say, Trek/Bontrager still haven't commented... too little, too late?

I will admit I haven't ever looked but I've never come across a cycling blog - either by a cycling manufacturer or a rider. Any thoughts?

[john s.]

Wait, according to an article today at cyclingnews.com, Trek has stated that they are having the bike shipped to them for a "thorough evaluation." The article also has Bruyneel's thoughts on the cause.

Now, whether anyone will ever see the results of the evaluation is another story.

[Simon Collister]

Or perhaps they'll refer the evaluation to the UCI.... then that'll be the end of it!

[Serge Cornelus]

@Josh: I hope so too!
@Simon: True, I haven't really come across many either. On the other hand, I haven't really looked that hard. Perhaps I should start today (a late new year resolution? ;-) ) There are some blogs by cycling amateurs and I know, for example, George hincapie used to have a blog (to talk to the fans), but the latest post dates back to somewhere in 2003 (viz. http://hincapie.blogspot.com ).
@John: thanks for the input! I hadn't seen the article yet. Let's hope they are transparent enough to come out with the results. I am convinced that it will only increase their credibility and trustworthiness, even if it means admitting they made a mistake with the bike...
@Simon: the UCI - don't talk to me about them! Like a lot of 'interest organisations' their only real interest is their own position, not the interests of the people they are supposed to be representing. The ProTour, the troubles with the organisers of the 3 big tours (France, Giro, Vuelta), ...