1980s and 90s Great Road Cycling Moments Quiz

Answer: Bernard Hinault

In a race that began with snow falling, Bernard Hinault rose to the challenge decimating an already scarce field. Riders abandoned the race by the dozens; of the 174 riders to start only 21 finished. Bernard "The Badger" Hinault rode on to win 9 minutes 24 seconds ahead of what was left of the field. Hinault's body was so beaten by the cold it took nearly three weeks for him to regain use of some of his fingers.

This was Bernard Hinault's second win of the Liège-Bastogne-Liège and no doubt one of the greatest moments in road cycling history.

Answer: Greg LeMond

While at ski camp for his 14th birthday Greg LeMond met coaches who talked with him about cycling as a means of staying fit for skiers. Greg later bought a bike and the rest is cycling history.

LeMond fell in love with cycling in 1975. In 1977 LeMond was accidentally entered into a seniors race where he came in second to John Howard, a rider he much admired and one of the reasons he became a cyclist. After that event LeMond was convinced he could ride with America's best cyclists.

Eddie Borysewicz (coach of the U.S. Cycling Federation) became Greg's coach that year and under his guidance Greg was entered in European races. In 1979 the "Phenom from Nevada" as LeMond was called, became the first American to ever win the gold medal at the UCI (Junior) Road World Championships. He would later win as a senior two other gold and two silver medals at the UCI Road World Championships.

Answer: Sean Kelly

Aside from the spectacular three way photo finish declaring the winner, the 1983 Giro di Lombardia race also featured Greg LeMond who was going after the "Super Prestige Pernod Trophy".

Also in the hunt for the trophy and racing the Lombardia were Dutchman Jan Raas; Italian Guiseppe Saronni; and Irishman Sean Kelly. LeMond could do no worse than second to win the trophy.

In the mountains LeMond struggled to keep up with the leaders as Pedro Munoz led a breakaway that dropped Saronni out of contention. Over the 'San Fermo delia Battaglia' Munoz attacked again; however, this time he was pursued by the hard driving Stephen Roche. Greg LeMond was in trouble again but managed to hold on and even contend as LeMond was a great descender. Munoz was caught three kilometers to the finish line and the contenders began their journey home.

In the hunt, five hundred meters from the line were Moser, known for long sprints to the finish line, Hennie Kuiper, LeMond, Van der Poel, and Sean Kelly. The winner of the race by photo finish, was declared to be Irishman Sean Kelly.

Greg LeMond came in second ahead of Van der Poel that day and won the 'Super Prestige Pernod Trophy' as the "Best Rider of the Year".

The 1983 Giro di Lombardia win was the beginning of Sean Kelly's "King of the Classics" reign. Kelly earned twenty-two cycling classics; only Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault have more wins in classic and major tour events.

The race started one hundred fifty-one cyclists and forty-six of them crossed the finish line.

Answer: Charly Mottet

In October of 1988 French cycling fans had little to be exuberant about. There were a few stage wins in the Tour de France but really nothing major to cheer on their riders; until the final major of the season, the Giro di Lombardia. During 'The Race of the Falling Leaves' System-U's Charly Mottet and Belgian Luc Roosen successfully broke away from the peloton. While climbing the Valpiana, and with a three minute fifteen second lead on the peloton, Roosen suffered a blowout. Mottet was faced with waiting for Roosen, with a fast approaching peloton led by Gianni Bugno, or to ride on for the glory of France. Charly Mottet rode on to the cheers from the crowds and handed France the last victory of the World Cup season. Gianni Bugno came in second, one minute and forty seconds behind Mottet.

On October 15, 1988 one hundred seventy-seven riders began the race in Como Italy, thirty-five managed to cross the finish line in Milan.

Answer: False

Stephen Roche was a very accomplished rider in his day with at least 58 wins to his credit. In 1987 Roche won the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and the World Road Race Championships making him the first Irishman to win the Triple Crown of cycling. Roche won only the stage 10 Individual Time Trial of the 1987 Tour de France. At the end of stage 24, the final ITT, Stephen Roche had wrested the maillot jaune (yellow jersey) from the back of Pedro Delgado to become the race leader. The race had only the obligatory ride on the Champs-Élysées left. Stephen Roche won the 74th Tour de France 40 seconds ahead of Pedro Delgado.

Also during the race were a few notable mentions.
- The 1987 Tour de France had more stages than any previous TDF with 25.
- It was the first year the maillot blanc (white jersey) for young rider was open to riders 26 years of age or younger by January first.
- The 1987 Tour de France did not include Greg LeMond as defending champion. LeMond was recovering after being shot during a hunting accident earlier that year.
- Stephen Roche not only won the '87 Tour de France, he also came in second in the maillot vert (green jersey) classification for sprinters. Roche was known for his fluid pedaling strokes; and though 1987 was a banner year for him, knee problems kept him out of contention after that year.
- The 1987 Tour de France saw 207 cyclists leave the start line and 135 come across the finish line.

Answer: False

In 1985 Greg LeMond worked to help his 'La Vie Claire' teammate Bernard Hinault win the Tour de France. Later that year while again riding alongside Hinault, LeMond won the prestigious Coors Classic Road Race held in the United States. Second place in that race went to Andy Hampsten. Greg LeMond was a two times winner of the race. The Coors Classic was last run in 1988.

The following year Gregory James LeMond became the first American to win the Tour de France.

Answer: Shirus Andrew Hampsten

Andy Hampsten was slowly but powerfully making himself known in the cycling world as a climber and teams like 7-Eleven were taking note. Hampsten was brought over to 7-Eleven for his mountain climbing abilities during the '85 Giro d'Italia. Although Andy was ridiculed for wearing a one-piece outfit during the race, he shut a lot of mouths by winning stage 20 of that Giro.

In 1985 North America's premier road race was the Coors Classic. During that year's race, Andy Hampsten riding for team 7-Eleven not only came in second to LeMond, but he also won the 'King of the Mountains' classification.

Hampsten's fame grew as in 1986 he rode with Hinault's La Vie Claire team. He won Tour de Suisse that year as well as 4th overall in the Tour de France behind Greg LeMond (first American to win TDF). Andy also ended that Tour wearing the maillot blanc (white jersey) as best young rider.

Team 7-Eleven somehow managed to sign Hampsten again in 1987, and again he won Tour de Suisse. However, in 1988 Shirus Andrew Hampsten did what had not been done by any American or Non-European at the time. Andy Hampsten while riding through a blzzard, attacked on the 'Gavia Pass' and gained control of the overall leader's jersey. The most famous jersey in the world (the maillot jaune) was now on Andy's back; and even though he lost that stage, Andy Hampsten had won the 1988 Giro d'Italia.

Answer: False

One of the 'Monuments' of cycling, Paris-Roubaix was conceived in 1896 by a couple of manufacturers by the name of Théodore Vienne and Maurice Perez. Vienne and Perez had built a velodrome and were looking for more enterprising ways to use it, when they hit upon the idea of a race from Paris to Roubaix. They enlisted the aide of a newspaper editor named Louis Minart. (Apparently the same person couldn't back the start and finish of a race.) To sell the race the two men pushed it as a precursor to the now defunct Paris-Bordeaux. After having the course scouted, Minart was convinced and backed the Paris start of the race. The rest is Paris-Roubaix history.

The race also called 'Hell of the North', has seen many three times winners, but few three consecutive times winners. The first was Frenchman Octave Lapize who won from 1909-1911. Then in 1978 Italian Francesco Moser riding for Team Sanson won by a minute forty seconds over his teammate Roger De Vlaeminck of Belgium. Moser was an imposing figure on a bike and he had an almost flawless pedal stroke, but that didn't bode well for him as a climber. Moser would win the next two Paris-Roubaix races and in 1980 joined Lapize as a three consecutive times winner. Moser made seven appearances on the Paris-Roubaix podium. Francesco "Lo sceriffo" Moser had a very prolific cycling career, riding with seven teams before retiring in 1987.

The 1978 Paris-Roubaix started 141 cyclists and only 40 managed to make it through the "Hell of the North" to the finish line.

Paris-Roubaix was started as a 280km (about 174mi) one day race from Paris to Roubaix in the north of France. It traverses many road types including the dreaded setts. Setts are often called cobblestones, when in fact they're more refined. The winner of the Paris-Rouaix receives the Sett Trophy. A fitting reminder after overcoming twenty-eight sections of setts during the race.

There were two points in history when Paris-Roubaix wasn't contested; both times were during world wars. In fact, the wars contributed to the lethalness of the race as the roads were heavily damaged by shelling. The nickname "Hell of the North" came after reporters and race organizers set out to survey the route after World War I. They had to make sure the route was safe for riders; what they found in the coal mining country of the north was described as nothing short of hell. The reporters sent their stories in and the race gained the name "Hell of the North".

In 1968 the race changed its start city from Paris to Compiègne.

Answer: Miguel Indurain

While researching Indurain for this quiz I was stunned to find that "Big Mig" won only two stages of all the Tour de France races he contested that weren't ITTs (Individual Time Trials). Both stages were in the mountains. One was in the Cauterets in the 1989 Tour. Indurain's other mountain stage win was in the Pyrenees in the 1990 Tour. Amazing! Miguel Indurain won five consecutive Tours de France and only two stages that weren't time trials. And therein lies the mystery of this race; that you can win Tour de France, without ever winning a stage. In 1987 Indurain became a patient or student of Francesco Conconi's in an effort to improve his riding skills. I guess it paid off... he went on to win from 1991 to 1995. Miguel Indurain did contest the '96 Tour de France. However, ill-health from the onset kept him out of contention. The next year he retired from active road racing.
Author's Note:
The Tour de France is an amazing display of a man's ability to endure. It really is! And I would advise anyone to become a spectator of it. But I can't! Cycling is riddled with doping to the point that I just have no desire to even watch this amazing sport. You see, I wouldn't be watching a man and his machine cross the line. I'd be watching a man and his doping method, outwit the UCI, and make enablers of its viewers.

Answer: Greg LeMond

We gain strength from the completion of each of our goals. In October of 1978 Greg LeMond was just making his way into the realm of European cycling, but even then he had confidence in himself. LeMond had so much belief in his abilities as a cyclist that he set four goals for himself:

1) Win the 1979 Junior World Road Race Championship
2) Win the 1980 Olympic Road Race
3) Win the Professional World Road Race Championship by age 22
4) Win Tour de France by age 25

These seem to be pretty lofty goals for an 18 year old American cyclist; but for Greg LeMond they were the next step in his dominance of the cycling world at home and abroad.

Did LeMond accomplish those goals? Well, as you might recall, in 1980 the United States boycotted the Olympics. Shortly afterwards Greg turned professional and never saw that particular goal realized. Greg LeMond did however accomplish each of the other goals he set for himself. Not only did he see those goals come to fruition but in this author's opinion, Greg LeMond proved to be the most accomplished American rider in cycling history.

Overcoming that 1989 Tour de France 50 second deficit to Laurent Fignon: For most cyclists being down to the leader by 50 seconds on the final day of the Tour de France would certainly mean second place at least. For Greg LeMond it meant a chance for him to prove his mettle, not only to the doubters but to himself.

The final day was an (I)ndividual (T)ime (T)rial; just man, machine, the elements and the clock. LeMond blasted out of the start gate, beared down and rode the ride of his life. Refusing to hear any split times, at the conclusion of his ride Greg LeMond had made up the 50 seconds and gained 8 on Fignon. Fignon was unable to match the ride and lost the 1989 Tour de France Overall title to Greg LeMond. That was one of if not the greatest ride in cycling history.