George Hincapie's Modern Adventure Earn Historic Paris-Roubaix Wildcard in Debut Season
George Hincapie is going back to the cobbles. The American cycling icon's new ProTeam, Modern Adventure Pro Cycling, has been awarded a wildcard invitation to Paris-Roubaix on April 12, marking the team's first-ever appearance at a Monument race and capping a remarkable debut season that has already exceeded every expectation placed upon it.
For Hincapie, who finished in the top ten at Paris-Roubaix seven times during his own illustrious riding career — including a heartbreaking second place in 2005 — the invitation carries deep personal significance. "This is both unique and hugely exciting for everyone involved in the project," Hincapie said after the announcement. "Paris-Roubaix is one of the most iconic races in the world, and to have our riders on the start line in Compiègne in our very first year is something none of us take for granted."
Modern Adventure launched in January 2026 as the first new American ProTeam in over a decade, co-founded by Hincapie and business leader Dustin Harder with the explicit aim of rebuilding the United States' presence in European professional cycling. The team secured UCI ProTeam status — the second-highest tier — and assembled a 20-rider roster that blends experienced professionals with promising young talent from six nationalities. South African climber Stefan de Bod, veteran American Robin Carpenter and former Ineos Grenadiers rider Leo Hayter headline the squad, while American youngster Cole Kessler represents the development pipeline the team is building for the future.
The Roubaix wildcard is the latest in a series of milestone invitations for the team. Modern Adventure raced the Volta a Catalunya in March — their first WorldTour event — and have steadily accumulated racing days across the European calendar since their January debut at the AlUla Tour in Saudi Arabia. The team's performance director Bobby Julich, alongside sports directors Alex Howes and Joey Rosskopf, has built a programme designed to expose riders to the highest level of racing as quickly as possible, and Roubaix represents the ultimate test of that philosophy.
"Our goal for Roubaix is simple," Hincapie explained. "Get to the velodrome, get into a breakaway if we can, and come away with an experience that accelerates our riders' development. This is a race that teaches you things about yourself that no training ride ever can. I know that from personal experience — seventeen times I rode those cobbles, and every single time I learned something new." The team's ambitions are modest but genuine: survive the Hell of the North, gain invaluable experience, and plant the seeds for future campaigns.
The invitation also reflects the broader story of Modern Adventure's impact on the sport in 2026. The team has drawn widespread attention and goodwill as the first serious American road team to compete at the top level since the dissolution of previous US-based programmes. "People want to see an American team back in the big show," Hincapie said earlier in the season. "The reception has been incredible." The stated long-term goal is to earn a place at the Tour de France within five years — a timeline that felt ambitious in January but now, with a Monument on the calendar, suddenly feels achievable.
Modern Adventure will line up alongside Tadej Pogačar, Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert and the rest of the peloton's elite on the cobbles next Sunday. For most of their riders, it will be the biggest race they have ever started. For Hincapie, standing on the team car rather than sitting on a saddle, it will be something else entirely — a return to the pavé that shaped his career, now viewed through the eyes of the team he has built from scratch.