A Paris-Roubaix Beginning
In the spring of 2024, George Hincapie traveled to watch Paris-Roubaix with Luis Vargas, the founder of Modern Adventure. They were not there for business. George had retired from professional cycling years earlier, and Vargas ran a travel company in Portland, Oregon. Somewhere along the way, the conversation turned to American cycling—what the sport had lost, and what it would take to build something meaningful again, including the possibility of a new American team.
For nearly a year, Dustin Harder, a lifelong cycling enthusiast and CEO of Harder Mechanical Contractors, had also been pursuing George about starting a team.
The proposal itself wasn’t unusual. George and his brother Rich, who runs Hincapie Sportswear, are approached regularly with ideas for new cycling teams. Most never go anywhere.
But Harder was serious. In early 2025, he connected Vargas with the Hincapie brothers, and the concept began to take shape quickly.
By April 2025, the company was finalized and funded. George became co-owner and president. Rich stepped in as general manager, drawing on decades of experience in the sport. Drew Hincapie joined as chief operating officer.
From there, the group began assembling the team, hiring directors, coaches, and support staff, and preparing an application for a UCI ProTeam license.
By December 2025, the license was confirmed. Modern Adventure Pro Cycling entered the 2026 season as a UCI ProTeam, the only American-based team at that level, with a 21-rider roster, a management team stacked with former national champions and Grand Tour veterans, and a stated goal of competing in the Tour de France by 2032.
MAPC Mission for American Road Cycling
The popularity of professional road cycling in the United States has declined significantly over the past 13 years. Since George Hincapie retired, the domestic racing scene has contracted for several reasons: fewer investors willing to fund teams, a shift toward mountain biking driven by NICA youth programs, the inherent dangers of riding on open roads, and a shrinking calendar of high-level American races.
For aspiring young American road cyclists, the pipeline to Europe’s biggest races, the pathway George himself once traveled, has nearly disappeared. MAPC exists to rebuild it.
The Three-Phase Plan
Phase 1 (2026–2028): Build the Foundation. Establish culture first.
Riders were selected for personality and team fit alongside performance. Anyone out for personal gain was passed over. Success means a team that supports each other and works together.
Phase 2 (2029–2031): Step Up to the Global Stage.
With the foundation in place, the focus shifts to performance. The goal is to win races, climb the UCI team rankings, and begin competing consistently against the sport’s top programs.
Phase 3 (2032+): Become a WorldTour Contender.
Expand the budget, staff, and infrastructure needed to compete at the highest level of the sport. Secure a WorldTour license, race the Grand Tours, and ultimately line up at the Tour de France.
Creating Opportunities for American Riders
Currently, 12 of twelve of 21 MAPC riders are American. The team is committed to maintaining at least 50% US representation.
To compete at the highest level, those opportunities have to extend beyond the United States. With very few UCI-level races remaining on the domestic calendar, most professional racing now takes place overseas.
Modern Adventure Pro Cycling is headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina, where all business operations are based. During the season, however, much of the team’s racing and preparation centers in Europe. The team maintains a European service course in Girona, Spain, where many riders live while competing across the European and Asian race calendars.
