2010 Professional Cycling Season Quiz

Answer: Team RadioShack

In late November of 2009, Team RadioShack was officially announced as a UCI ProTour team for the 2010 season. Many of the riders that signed with Team RadioShack were from Armstrong's former team, Team Astana. Team RadioShack amassed a total of three overall stage race victories in the 2010 season. Those three races were the Tour of the Basque Country, Criterium du Dauphine, and Tour de l'Ain. Team RadioShack achieved success in the 2010 Tour de France by winning the team classification and having Sergio Paulinho winning Stage 10.

Answer: True

The first event on the 2010 UCI calendar was the Tour Down Under. The first edition of the Tour Down Under was in 1999. The Tour Down Under is known for being primarily flat, and a sprinter's race. The race is also known for the distinct color of the leader's jersey, which is orange.

The 2010 Tour Down Under was won by Andre Greipel. Out of the six stages that make up the tour, Greipel won three stages. Greipel rode for Team HTC-Columbia. This was Greipel's second time winning the Tour Down Under, he previously won the race in 2008.

Answer: Milan-San Remo

The Milan-San Remo was first held in 1907. It is primarily seen as a sprinter's classic. It is also known for being one of the longest professional classics. The 2010 edition was 298km in length. Oscar Freire, the winner of the 2010 edition, completed the course just 2:32 shy of seven hours.

This was the third time that Oscar Freire won the Milan-San Remo. Freire also won this classic in 2004 and 2007. Freire rode for Rabobank.

Answer: Fabian Cancellara

The Tour of Flanders was held on April 4. Fabian Cancellara beat Thor Hushovd by two minutes to win the event. The Paris-Roubaix was held on April 11. Cancellara beat the second place finisher, Tom Boonen, by 1:15. This was the second time Cancellara had won the Paris-Roubaix, as he previously won the Paris-Roubaix in 2006.

This was the first time that he had won the Tour of Flanders or Ronde Van Vlaanderen.

Answer: True

The points classification was added to the Giro d'Italia in 1966. Beginning in 1967, the leader of the points classification was given a red colored jersey. In 1969, the color of the jersey was changed to mauve, and some referred to the color as cyclamen.

The Giro d'Italia race organizers decided to change the color of the jersey back to red after the 2009 Giro. Cadel Evans won the points classification of the Giro d'Italia in 2010. In Italian, the points classification jersey is referred to as the 'maglia rosso passione'.

Answer: Points classification

Contador won the opening 6.8km prologue, and took the lead in the general, points, and King of the Mountains classifications. After Stage 1, he only held in the general classification. Stage 3 was a critical 49km ITT, Individual time trial. Janez Brajkovic won the stage. Contador finished the course a 1:45 after Brajkovic.

At this point, Contador held no leads in any classification. In the final stage of the race, Stage 7, Contador finished second overall. That finish earned him enough points to take over the lead in the points classification. Contador rode for Team Astana.

Answer: Alberto Contador

This was the third Tour de France that Alberto Contador won. He previously won the race in 2007 and 2009. After Stage 15, Contador gained the overall lead of the Tour. He held that lead all the way to the Champs Elysees. Contador beat the second place finisher, Andy Schleck, by a margin of 39 seconds. Contador rode for Team Astana.
Contador was stripped of his title in February 2012. The race was awarded to Andy Schleck.

Answer: Tyler Farrar

The total distance for the 2010 Vattenfall Cyclassics was 225km. The Vattenfall Cyclassics traditionally takes place in Hamburg, Germany. The first edition took place in 1996, when the race was known as the HEW Cyclassics. In 2006, the name changed to the Vattenfall Cyclassics. Farrar beat out Team Sky's Edvald Boasson Hagen for the victory. Andre Greipel, of Team HTC-Columbia, placed third overall in the event. Farrar rode for Garmin-Transitions.

In the 2010 season, Farrar achieved success in both the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana, with two stage victories in both races.

Answer: Red

Throughout the history of the Vuelta a Espana, the general classification leader's jersey has changed colors many times. In the 1935 Vuelta a Espana, the first professional edition of the race, the leader's jersey was orange. Since then the color of the leader's jersey has changed colors many times. Before the leader's jersey was changed to red, it was golden. Before the 2010 edition, the only other time a red jersey was used for the general classification was in the 1945 edition.

Answer: Belgian

Sometimes referred to as "La classica delle foglie morte", or in English, "Race of the Falling Leaves", the Giro di Lombardia is considered to be a climber's classic. The Giro di Lombardia was first run in 1905. The race traditionally takes place in Italy.

The first rider to win the Giro di Lombardia five times was Fausto Coppi. Coppi won the race in 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, and 1954. Philippe Gilbert won the 2010 Giro di Lombardia by a margin of twelve seconds over Michele Scarponi. The 2010 course was 260km in length and ended in Como. Philippe Gilbert rode for Omega Pharma-Lotto in the 2010 Giro di Lombardia. Gilbert also won the 2010 Amstel Gold Race.