Cycling: Hincapie wins Tour of Missouri

Monday, September 17, 2007 - 07:52 PM

ST. LOUIS, Sept 16 (Reuters) - George Hincapie held on to his overall lead to win the inaugural Tour of Missouri on Sunday, the U.S. rider's first stage race victory since 2004.

Cuban Ivan Dominguez won the sixth and final stage, completing the 119.4-kilometer (74.2-miles) St. Louis circuit in two hours, 37 minutes, 13 seconds.

Canadians Andrew Pinfold and Dominique Rollin finished second and third on the stage, both in the same time as Dominguez.

Hincapie, who had seized the race lead after the Discovery Channel rider won the second stage on Wednesday, finished in the main pack of riders.

The 34-year-old rode to a winning margin of 1:40 over compatriot William Frischkorn. Rollin's third place stage finish moved him up to third overall, trailing Hincapie by 2:20.

"When I won a couple of days ago, I felt strong and as the race continued, I felt super strong, " said Hincapie, who will compete in the World Championships, beginning Sept. 25 in Stuttgart, Germany.

The Tour of Missouri began in Kansas City with a field of 116 cyclists from more than a dozen countries. The race suffered no major crashes and included 103 finishers.

Hincapie, a 2005 Tour de France stage winner, was the only team mate who rode with Lance Armstrong during each of the American's record seven Tour de France titles.