Cycling; Team USA (and a Canadian) Quiz

Answer: He used performance enhancing drugs

Born Lance Edward Gunderson (Plano, Texas, 18 September 1971), Lance Armstrong was an extremely talented and fearsome competitor in professional cycling. Already a World Champion at the age of 23, Armstrong had all the makings of a successful one-day racer or possible a one-week stage rider. Experts and punters were convinced that a three week Grand Tour was beyond the reach of his capabilities. However, after his fight with testicular cancer, Armstrong made a stunning comeback as an even stronger and, more interestingly, different rider. With his US Postal Team, Armstrong dominated, demolished, and even bullied, the competition during seven consecutive Tours de France in a way never seen before or since.

Ultimately, it became clear his dominance was not only God given. Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France wins and the international cycling federation UCI banned Armstrong for life from any involvement in professional cycling. His highly anticipated and publicized (remember Oprah?) confession to systematic use of performance enhancing drugs throughout his career, turned Armstrong from the absolute poster boy of cycling to the blackest sheep in the entire cycling community. His team sponsor US Postal sued him for USD 100 million in damages, but in the end this case was settled for USD 5 million.

Answer: Greg LeMond

Gregory James LeMond (Lakewood, California, 26 June 1961) won the first of his three Tour de France titles in 1986, after a fascinating battle with his team mate and home favorite Bernard Hinault, marked a significant moment in American cycling history and began a period of American success in the sport. His second victory in 1989 was also very special, with LeMond returning unexpectedly to his best shape after a horrible hunting accident in 1987, that left him with more than 40 lead pellets in his body, nearly ended his life. LeMond managed to win a third Tour de France in 1990, in addition to twice winning the rainbow jersey as World Champion.

Lemond became the CEO of his own bike brand, operating out of Knoxville, Tennessee. In 2020, he won the Congressional Gold Medal for his dedication to activism and community involvement.

Answer: Davis Phinney

Davis Phinney (Boulder, 10 July 1959) was a legendary American sprinter who achieved significant success in the 1980s. As part of the strong 7-Eleven Cycling Team, Phinney was only the second American to win a stage in the Tour de France. In 1988, he became the second American (after Greg LeMond) to rank second in the final classification of the Green Jersey, the classification for the best sprinter of the peloton, behind the indomitable Eddy Plankaert.

Phinney did manage to win two stage wins in the Tour de France, though, as wel as a national title and numerous wins in the iconic Coors Classic. Phinney was diagnosed with Parkinson's at age 40, and established the Davis Phinney Foundation in 2004 in an effort to raise funding for medical research and awareness for the disease.

Answer: Andy Hampsten

Andrew Hampsten (Columbus, Ohio, 7 April 1962) was one of the protagonists in one of the most insane stages modern road cycling has ever seen. Just google Mount Gavia 1988 and you'll get the idea. An epic mountain stage over the infamous Gavia through a snow blizzard, which caught many riders unawares. The result: absolute mayhem, with riders shaking uncontrollably, crying, suffering from hypothermia, abandoning in a stupor. Johan van der Velde, a Dutchman who crested the top of the Gavia in first place, lost 43 minutes on the descent to the finish in a state of delirium!

Hampsten and his team were much better prepared for the cold than most competitors and finished second on the stage after Erik Breukink from the Netherlands. However, as a result Hampsten was the new leader of the general classification and proud bearer of the iconic Pink Jersey, which he carried all the way to the end. Nowadays, Hampsten divides his time between Boulder and Tuscany in his beloved Italy.

Answer: Sepp Kuss

Up to his remarkable win, Sepp Kuss (Durango, Colorado, 13 September 1994) made a career as a "super domestique", a world class climber assigned to help his team leader out in the tough mountain stages. In 2023, Kuss had already assisted Primoz Roglic in his Giro d'Italia overall victory and his other team leader Jonas Vingegaard on the way to his second Tour de France general classification win, when he suddenly found himself atop of the leader board of the Vuelta de España.

This made for a very exciting and fascinating third week of racing, and a Shakespearian leadership struggle, where his designated team leaders, Roglic and Vingegaard, seemed both keen and hesitant to set the hierarchy straight. Finally, after Kuss held his own in the toughest mountain stage to Angliru, team management decided that it was Kuss' time to shine, resulting in an unprecedented 1-2-3 podium by Team Jumbo Visma in the final classification.

Answer: Chris Horner

Christopher Brandon Horner (Okinawa, Japan, 23 October 1971) was a successful American cyclist in the European professional peloton. He achieved numerous top-ten finishes in prestigious races like the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia. Horner's most significant achievement, however, came in 2013 when he won the Vuelta a España, the third Grand Tour on the cycling calendar, becoming the oldest winner of a Grand Tour at the age of 41.

Following his career, Horner became a talking head at NBC and was responsible for multiple You Tube channels, focusing on professional cycling and dirt bike racing.

Answer: Speed skating

Eric Arthur Heiden (Madison, Wisconsin, 14 June 1958) made history at the 1980 Winter Olympics by winning an unprecedented five gold medals in speed skating events. A clean sweep, as he dominated all competed distances, both the sprints and the longer races, becoming the first speed skater to achieve such a feat at a single Olympics. Seven times world champion Heiden is regarded as the greatest speed skater in history, even though he quit the sport just before turning 22!

Instead of adding to his already incredible tally of speed skating titles, Heiden decided to become a professional cycling pioneer with the fledgling 7-Eleven Cycling Team. A as cyclist he was never as successful as he was as a speed skater (partly due to a fall in the 1986 Tour de France), but having been inducted into the Cycling Hall of Fame shows Heiden wasn't exactly a slacker either!

Answer: Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Tyler Hamilton (Marblehead, Massachusetts, 1 March 1971) clinched a remarkable victory in the Liège-Bastogne-Liège race in 2003, the first North-American rider to ever take a Monument.

Hamilton was a respected rider who notably served as a loyal lieutenant to Lance Armstrong during their time together at the U.S. Postal Service. Hamilton's abilities as a climber and time trialist made him a key factor in several of Armstrong's Tour de France victories. Later on, he pursued his own chances as a Grand Tour rider, which resulted in several stage wins (even one while having a broken collar bone!) and top five finishes in the Tour de France and the Giro d' Italia. His biggest win, however, was his victory in Liège-Bastogne-Liège or, as it is affectionately called, "La Doyenne" (The Old Lady).

Despite his successes, Hamilton's career was marred by controversies, notably his involvement in a major doping scandal. He faced allegations of blood doping and a subsequent suspension from the sport. As a result, Hamilton as stripped of his Olympic Time Trial title of Athens 2004. He later admitted to using performance-enhancing substances, which led to a further tarnishing of his reputation in professional cycling.

His autobiography, "The Secret Race: Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France: Doping, Cover-ups, and Winning at All Costs", co-authored with Daniel Coyle, was vital in shedding some light on the dark and unfortunately persistent culture of performance-enhancing drugs in professional cycling.

Answer: Floyd Landis

For three days, Floyd Landis (Farmersville, Pennsylvania,14 October 1975) thought he had achieved the impossible by winning the Tour de France 2006 in the most dramatic fashion. Stage 16 (of 21) had been disastrous for Landis as he just didn't have the legs anymore and suffered a substantial time loss of 8 minutes, which all but shattered his chances at winning the race. After the stage he explained to reporters - whilst drinking a beer! - that he had no hopes for the overall win anymore.

However, in an astonishing display of resilience and strength, the following day in the last mountain stage, Landis went on a suicide attack with more than 100km to the finish line. The peloton chased him over five mountain passes, but couldn't catch him. Landis won the stage and regained almost all the time he had lost. Two days later, he took the overall win by defeating all of his opponents in a time trial. Unfortunately, this fairytale proved too good to be true. Landis tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone, as a result of which Landis was stripped of his Tour de France title due to doping violations.

Answer: Giro d'Italia 2012

Hesjedal's victory at the 2012 Giro d'Italia was a landmark achievement in his cycling career. Ryder Hesjedal (Victoria, Canada, 9 december 1980) showcased consistent performances across various terrains, demonstrating his versatility as a cyclist. His notable performance in the Individual Time Trial (ITT) played a pivotal role in propelling him into the race lead.

Hesjedal's victory was as surprising as it was hard-fought and closely contested against formidable opponents, such as Joaquim Rodríguez, Michele Scarponi, Ivan Basso, and Rigoberto Urán. Hesjedal's first place in the general classification of the Giro d'Italia 2012, just 16 seconds ahead of Rodríguez, earned him recognition as the first Canadian to win a Grand Tour race and marked a significant milestone in Canadian cycling history.