<table> </table> The last time Missouri saw George Hincapie, he was saying goodbye to an era.</p><p>He was pedaling across the Show-Me State in the Tour of Missouri, a pro cycling race that he eventually won. But it was much more than that.</p><p>Hincapie and his teammates on the Discovery Channel team, which had carried pro cycling to the mainstream, were participating in their last race together on American soil. One of the sport&#8217;s longest-standing dynasties was coming to an end.</p><p>&#8220;I can say that I was part of history,&#8221; Hincapie said Saturday as he prepared to compete in the second running of the Tour of Missouri, which opens today. &#8220;The Discovery Channel team was special; we had a dynasty.</p><p>&#8220;I think we elevated the sport here in the United States and made it much more popular. It was sad to see that era end.</p><p>&#8220;Knowing that it would be the last time we would be together, it was hard.&#8221;</p><p>Hincapie went on to take the title in the six-day race and added to the Discovery Channel&#8217;s legacy. He had competed for the legendary team for 10 years and had experienced some of pro cycling&#8217;s best moments.</p><p>He was a teammate of Lance Armstrong&#8217;s when he won a record-setting seven straight Tours de France (the first six when the team was sponsored by the U.S. Postal Service), and he watched how the superstar elevated the sport. And Hincapie did his part, contributing to many team wins and achieving personal success as well.</p><p>No, he wasn&#8217;t a Lance Armstrong, but he still became known as one of pro cycling&#8217;s top athletes.</p><p>Among his many accomplishments, he has been a member of eight winning teams in the Tour de France and he has competed in a U.S.-record five Olympics.</p><p>When the Discovery Channel announced that it was dropping sponsorship of the team last year and team officials were unable to find another title sponsor, Hincapie was among the many who were saddened by the breakup of a team whose history dated to the late 1980s.</p><p>Team members scattered. Hincapie went to Team Columbia, and superstars Alberto Contador and Levi Leipheimer went to Team Astana.</p><p>But life goes on. Hincapie is allowing himself to only take a glimpse at the past. He is focused on the future now.</p><p>&#8220;That&#8217;s part of pro sports,&#8221; said Hincapie, who lives in Greenville, S.C. &#8220;No team stays together forever. Times change.</p><p>&#8220;Being part of the Discovery Channel team was a very special time. I wouldn&#8217;t trade it for anything. But it&#8217;s time to move on. And I&#8217;m very excited about the team I&#8217;m on now.&#8221;</p><p>In a way, Hincapie has just moved from one powerhouse to another. While Team Columbia hasn&#8217;t found the success in the Tour de France that the Discovery Channel did, it&#8217;s still looked at as one of the top cycling teams in the world.</p><p>Hincapie is joined by fellow superstars Mark Cavendish of Great Britain and Michael Rogers of Australia. Add some excellent riders from three other countries, and it&#8217;s little wonder that Columbia is considered one of the favorites to win the Tour of Missouri.</p><p>&#8220;We have a very good chemistry,&#8221; Hincapie said. &#8220;I knew from the first day of training camp that we had something special.</p><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know if anyone will ever accomplish what the Discovery Channel team did, but Columbia is certainly making a name for itself. I think we have some big things ahead.&#8221;</p><p>And Hincapie likes the look of his future, too. Though he is 35, he still is competitive and continues cycling.