American Cyclists Trivia Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which cyclist became the first US rider to win Gent-Wevelgem?

Answer: George Hincapie

In 2001, George Hincapie became the first US rider to win this classic. He finished a close third in 2003, behind Cipo and teammate Fred Rodriguez.

2. In 1988 Giro d'Italia Andy Hampsten launched one of the most bold and daring attacks in cycling history to become the first American to win the Pink Jersey. Where did this attack take place?

Answer: Passo Gavia

Andy Hampsten attacked in the midst of a snow storm that forced many riders to abandon. He charged up Gavia Pass into the swirling snow. He was overtaken by Breukink and did not win the stage, but his efforts were enough to put him on track to win the leader's jersey. Amazingly enough, he and Breukink attacked again two days after Gavia in yet another storm!

3. Most American riders have seemed to struggle in Italy. In 2002, which rider endured a high speed crash in stage six, but continued to ride with a variety of injuries, including a torn rotator cuff, eventually becoming only the second American to earn a podium spot in this Grand Tour?

Answer: Tyler Hamilton

Tyler Hamilton almost might seem to ride better while in pain. After crashing in stage six, he avoided having doctors examine his shoulder for fear that he would be forced to abandon. If he had not crashed, one can't help but wonder if he would have become the 2nd American to win the Giro. As it was, he placed second and earned the admiration of the cycling world as a gritty rider.

4. Greg Lemond set a record for the smallest margin of victory in the 1989 edition of the Tour de France, a mere 8 seconds. Who came in second?

Answer: Laurent Fignon

Lemond trailed Fignon by 50 seconds going into the final stage - a 24.5 km time trial. Almost no one believed that was going to be long enough to make up such a large gap, but Lemond chose to use aerobars and an aerodynamic helmet - the first 'big name' rider to do so in a major race. That, combined with a record setting effort and a bit of luck (Fignon was suffering from saddle sores), was all he needed to win the stage by 58 seconds. Delgado, sadly, put himself nearly out of contention at the first time trial when he arrived several minutes late for his start!

5. In 1989 Greg Lemond won his second Tour de France. He also accomplished a rare double that year. What other major race did he win?

Answer: World Championships

Lemond became one of an elite group of riders to have won both the Tour and the World Championships. He defeated Sean Kelly in an epic race to complete one of the great comebacks in sports history.

6. Which of the following riders has the most professional victories?

Answer: Davis Phinney

Davis Phinney was perhaps the most successful rider from North America, with over 300 wins to his credit when he retired in 1993. Though Lemond, Armstrong, and Hincapie have all won their fair share of races, they don't even begin to compare to the dominance shown by Phinney, particularly in the one-day events and sprints.

7. Racers often complain that the Tour de France is getting faster every year, making it harder to recover quickly enough to race. Lance Armstrong set a record for the fastest average speed in the Tour. Just how fast did he go?

Answer: 40.27 kph

Lance averaged a whopping 25.03 mph in the 1999 Tour. Super Mario holds the record for fastest road stage, at 50.35 kph on the fourth stage of that same year.

8. In the 1990 Tour de France, Lemond was faced with an unexpected challenge. A feisty Italian climber escaped in the first stage with Steve Bauer and Ronan Pensec and built up a 10 minute lead, forcing Lemond to instigate some spectacular attacks in the Pyrenees to close the gap. Who was this challenger?

Answer: Claudio Chiappucci

Chiappucci took the jersey from Steve Bauer in the first mountain stage, and lost no time as the race moved through the Alps. He had one bad day in the Pyrenees, allowing Lemond to close within 2 minutes. That wouldn't be enough. Lemond passed him in the final time trial to take yellow. Interestingly, Lemond did not win a single stage of that race despite taking the overall title.

9. This famous bicycling correspondent wasn't American, but did serve as the public relations director of the Motorola Cycling Team (America's premier team from 1991-1996). Who was he?

Answer: Paul Sherwin

Paul, Phil, and Bob were all commentators for OLN's Tour coverage. Phil, or course, is known world wide as the voice of the Tour de France (in English speaking countries at least). Cyril provided analysis of the Tour to a variety of media organizations and is known as one of the great coaches of history.

10. The mid-80s saw just one race in the United States that attracted enough attention in Europe to draw a few professional teams over. Lemond and Hinault contested a few of these. What was that race?

Answer: Coors International Bicycle Classic

The Coors International Bicycle Classic (previously the Red Zinger Classic) was dominated by Davis Phinney, who had over 22 stage wins there and won the Sprints Jersey 7 times in a row! Renault and La Vie Claire were among the Euroean teams to compete (along with a powerful amateur Soviet team in the early 80s) came over as well, and helped Lemond win the race several times.

The Red Zinger began in 1975, was later sponsored by Coors, and ran for 13 years, finally folding in 1988.

Source: Author 3thornes

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor silverginger before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

This quiz takes a look at the impact of American cycling in the modern era of bicycle racing. Are you a serious US cycling fan? Let's find out!

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