To get an idea of how well-respected and even beloved Big George Hincapie is among his Discovery Channel teammates, consider what has happened here in the Tour of Missouri.

Levi Leipheimer, the reigning d U.S. road racing champion, has been serving Hincapie and the team as a domestique in Missouri, which means not only protecting Hincapie at the front of the peloton but also retrieving water bottles from the team car and riding them back up to the group.

Not to be outdone, reigning Tour de France champion Alberto Contador - the Tour de France champion! — also has been logging domestique duties, fetching water bottles as well.

And neither has a problem with  serving Big George. Leipheimer was returning the favor for Hincapie controlling the peloton and  pulling back attacks to help Leipheimer win the U.S. title just two weeks ago. Contador was returning the favor for Hincapie’s help in the Tour de France.

Big George has been doing such work for them and others throughout his career, from the team’s inception 11 years ago as U.S. Postal Service, through Lance Armstrong’s seven Tour de France titles and Contador’s TdF title this season, the team’s last because Discovery Channel ended its sponsorship agreement.

The Tour of Missouri is the last ride for Discovery in the U.S., and the team is going out in style, with Hincapie - the longtime faithful lieutenant and team player - wearing the yellow jersey in the inaugural event. Barring a crash or something unforeseen Sunday, Hincapie will wear the yellow jersey for the team’s farewell party Sunday night in St. Louis. Hincapie is 1 minute 40 seconds ahead of Slipstream-Chipotle’ Will Frischkorn in the overall classification.

Before Stage 5 on Saturday - a 126-mile trek from Jefferson City to St. Charles - Contador described his effort as a domestique in the relentlessly hilly and windy 133-mile marathon from Lebanon to Columbia on Friday “as many work.”

“It’s great for our team,” said Contador, whose English is improving. “I want the same today.”

This attitude is not uncommon for Discovery Channel.

“This is our team,” said Discovery’s Yaroslav Popovich, who is in his third year with the team and rode tempo with Hincapie for Armstrong’s seventh Tour de France title and Contador’s win this year. “When you help somebody, they will help you. George and me helped Contador, and now we’re working for George.”

And that’s a big boost for Hincapie, an accomplished all-around cyclist who specializes in the grueling spring classics in Europe and also won the U.S. national title last year.

“If you see the winner of the Tour de France working for you, it’s really good,” Popovich said.

Chris Wherry of Toyota-United said the one-for-all-and-all-for-one attitude is universal in cycling.

“A lot of people don’t understand how much of a team sport cycling is,” Wherry said. “For our team, I’m riding for (sprinter Ivan) Dominguez here, and he’s ridden his legs off for me in the mountains. We share the wealth.”

Hincapie, long the lieutenant. appreciates the effort, noting that having the Tour de France winner fetch water bottles is “not a normal thing.”

“I’ve done my share of work, and we’ve had a lot of success as a team,” Hincapie said. “I’d love to finish it off with a win.”

That should happen Sunday in the shadow of Union Station at the end of Stage 6.

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