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George Hincapie surpassed Joop Zoetemelk's record for the most Tour de France starts. Zoetemelk, a Dutch cyclist, participated in 16 Tours de France, while Hincapie, an American cyclist, competed in 17. Hincapie's first Tour was in 1996, and his last was in 2012. He never won the Tour de France but was a key support rider for Lance Armstrong during his seven Tour victories.