Hincapie goes for five

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George Hincapie is the ultimate loyal assistant. He helped shepherd Lance Armstrong to all of Armstrong’s record-setting seven Tour de France wins. So there is no one in the cycling world not happy to see that Hincapie was named to his fifth U.S. Olympic team Tuesday. Hincapie, 35, was one of nine discretionary selections named to the U.S. cycling team.

Olympic rookie David Zabriskie, who once beat Armstrong at a Tour prologue, was also named to the road racing team along with 2000 Olympian Christian Vande Velde and

Jason McCartney.

Tour of California winner Levi Leipheimer had automatically earned a spot on the basis of this third-place finish at last year’s Tour de France. Leipheimer will be well-rested for the Olympics. His professional team, Astana, has been banned from the Tour de France, which begins Saturday. Astana’s main riders last year failed doping tests so the team, under new ownership and with new riders, was banned. Hincapie, however, is set to participate in his 13th consecutive Tour.

All five men will participate in the road race while Leipheimer and Zabriskie will ride the time trial. American’s Tyler Hamilton and Bobby Julich won gold and bronze in that event four years ago in Athens, but it was Hamilton’s failed drug test later that month that set off a scandal that got Hamilton banned from cycling for two years.

Two-time Olympian Kristin Armstrong has already clinched a spot on the women’s road racing team. Two more women will be selected.

Also named to the U.S. team Tuesday in track cycling were 2004 Olympians Adam Duvendeck and Giddeon Massie (team sprint); and Michael Friedman (Madison). Already automatically qualified are Taylor Phinney (individual pursuit); Bobby Lea (points race, Madison); Michael Blatchford (team sprint, match sprint); Sarah Hammer (individual pursuit); Jennie Reed (match sprint).

In men’s mountain biking, Adam Craig was the discretionary pick and joins qualifier Todd Wells on the team. Georgia Gould has already qualified for the women’s mountain bike team but one more racer will still be chosen.

-- Diane Pucin