Adding to the buzz locally is the fact that one of Lance’s key lieutenants on the Discovery Team, George Hincapie of Greenville, S.C., won this year’s most difficult mountain stage of the Tour.

Hincapie, who is well known to the local racing crowds, won stage 15 in the Pyrenees. Hincapie is a world-class racer in his own right and considered one of the toughest men in the peloton this year, sticking with Armstrong over the toughest climbs such as the Galibier and Courcheval.

Hincapie took a brilliant stage win by winning a sprint at the top of the ascent of Pla d’Adet. Hincapie has ridden with Lance Armstrong in each of his 6 consecutive Tour victories, but this was his first career stage win in 10 years riding the Tour. He got into a 14-man breakaway with an eye toward being up the road late in the stage to provide Armstrong with some help, and was able to take it easy in the break.

When the time came, and the climbers launched attacks to eliminate the break’s remnants, Hincapie covered them all, and was left shadowing only Phonak’s Oscar Pereiro with the finish line in sight. When Hincapie wound it up, Pereiro couldn’t match the big man’s finishing sprint.

Hincapie became the 8th American with a stage win in the Tour, joining Greg Lemond, Davis Phinney, Jeff Pierce, Andy Hampsten, Lance Armstrong, Tyler Hamilton, and Dave Zabriskie.