Anti-Doping Group Approves New American Team After Scrutiny

Anti-doping advocacy group MPCC has given the green light for America’s newest elite men’s road racing team — Modern Adventure Pro Cycling — to join the group on a provisional basis after taking a close look at doping links to two key members of the team’s management.

The decision by the Mouvement Pour un Cyclisme Crédible is significant because George Hincapie and Bobby Julich, two former pros involved with the team’s founding, both publicly admitted anti-doping violations tied to their respective racing careers.

Hincapie is a co-owner and one of the project’s founders, and Julich oversees performance and coaching.

MPCC officials said they undertook what they described as “additional due diligence” because of the team’s links to the two former racers.

“Joining the MPCC is a voluntary step. Teams choose to commit to standards that go beyond the minimum rules set by the authorities, with the shared aim of protecting rider health, fairness, and the credibility of cycling. Membership is therefore not automatic, and each application is considered on its own merits,” the MPCC wrote.

“As part of this process, the board considered the fact that team manager George Hincapie and sporting director Bobby Julich publicly admitted anti-doping violations during their racing careers more than a decade ago. Although these events are in the past, they remain relevant given cycling’s history and the importance of rebuilding trust in the sport.”

Following its review, the board approved Modern Adventure on a probationary basis, as is standard for all new member teams, officials said.

‘Additional due diligence’ in MPCC review

According to the MPCC, the group will “follow this membership with particular attention to ensure these commitments are upheld in practice.”

The MPCC, founded more than 15 years ago in the wake of a series of high-profile doping scandals, conducted a closer review of Modern Adventure’s application before granting provisional membership, officials said.

Both Hincapie and Julich raced during the sport’s notorious EPO Era, a period when performance-enhancing drugs were rife within the peloton.

Hincapie, 52, admitted in 2012 that he used banned performance-enhancing drugs during parts of his career.

Hincapie was part of the sweeping USADA investigation that ultimately led to a lifetime ban for Lance Armstrong and reduced sanctions for others. He received a six-month suspension from September to March 2013 and was stripped of all race results from May 2004 to July 2006.

Julich, 54, also admitted in 2012 that he used EPO between 1996 and 1998, after Team Sky, where he was working as a coach, required riders and staff to disclose any past abuse of banned substances. Julich was later fired by the team.

The startup squad — the first major new elite U.S. men’s road project in more than a decade to target the top European calendar — applied to join the MPCC last fall as its roster and infrastructure began to take shape.

As reported by Velo, management cut ties to a podcast hosted by Armstrong and removed the logo from the team’s jersey. It’s not clear if that move was linked to the MPCC approval.

‘There’s a better way forward for this sport’

Hincapie, who has spoken publicly about his past as he helps build the Modern Adventure project, said joining the group was a deliberate choice.

“Joining the MPCC is important to me because it’s about more than just our team, it’s about the future of cycling,” Hincapie said in a statement. “The sport has been damaged by doping scandals, and we have an opportunity to be part of rebuilding that trust.

“I witnessed firsthand the cultural shift in the sport many years ago, and I’ve seen both the damage that comes from turning a blind eye and the progress that’s possible when athletes choose integrity,” Hincapie said.

“By committing to the MPCC’s enhanced transparency standards, we’re proving that clean athletes can compete at the highest level and that credibility matters more than shortcuts. I want our team to stand for integrity and show the next generation of cyclists — one of whom happens to be my son — that there’s a better way forward for this sport we love.”

The UCI’s rules do not prevent formerly banned riders from working as sport directors, staffers, or team ownership once a suspension is completed. Respective teams can have their own policies on staffing.

What’s the MPCC?

Founded in 2007 by former team manager Roger Legeay and seven original teams, the advocacy group holds its members to standards that go beyond those outlined by the WADA code and the UCI rulebook.

Operating independently of the UCI, the MPCC is a voluntary group that requires several stricter guidelines.

For example, its members use longer return-to-racing protocols after injuries or illness, impose tighter medical guidelines around cortisol levels, and operate with transparency in anti-doping practices.

Member teams also pledge not to hire riders who have served doping bans longer than six months until two full seasons after a suspension has ended.

Several high-profile teams have declined to join the group or have withdrawn in recent years, including Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, which exited the group at the end of 2024.

Detractors argue that the MPCC creates a split within the peloton and that its additional rules can provoke legal and administrative complications.

Currently, the MPCC includes seven WorldTour teams, 13 ProTeams, and 13 Continental teams on the men’s side, along with five Women’s WorldTeams, six Women’s ProTeams, and two Women’s Continental teams for 2026.

Staff members, race organizers, and individual riders may also join independently of their teams.

Modern Adventure made its racing debut earlier this season at the AlUla Tour and is scheduled to race next week at the UAE Tour.