January 1, 2017 by Irish Peloton

Christmas Quiz 2016 – Answers

Here are the answers to the Christmas Quiz I set last week. Almost 100 entries, some journalists in there as well as a couple of professional riders and (I’m almost certain) lots and lots of Googling!

The winner was Doug Hart who got his entry in with just a couple of hours to spare. Doug got all 20 correct, the only person to do so.

Congratulations Doug! A copy of the latest Soigneur magazine is all yours. I’ll be in touch via email.

1. Dimitri Konychev

1991 Tour de France – Stage 22

It’s the famous tumble taken by Djamolidin Abdoujaparov on the Champs Elyssés with Olaf Ludwig sprinting beside him, but it was Dimitri Konychev who won the stage.

2. Thomas Voeckler

2010 Tour de France – Stage 15

‘Chaingate’. Andy Schleck got his chain caught while attacking on the Port de Balés, Contador took advantage and gained 39 seconds on Schleck by the end of the stage. Contador’s overall gap at the end of the whole Tour? 39 seconds.

But then he got popped for doping anyway. Voeckler won the stage.

3. Julio Jiminez

1964 Tour de France – Stage 20

The famous battle between Jacques Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor on the Puy de Dome. But while they were going shoulder to shoulder, the Spaniard Jiminez was up the road taking the stage win.

4. Alexander Vinokourov

2003 Tour de France – Stage 9

Lance Armstrong goes off road and joins up with the group after crossing a field and jumping down a ten foot slope, while Joseba Beloki lies in pain on the ground with a broken pelvis. They were all chasing Vinokourov who took the win solo.

5. Thomas de Gendt

2016 Tour de France – Stage 12

Chris Froome, Richie Porte and Bauke Mollema crashed into a motorbike and got held up by the massive crowds on the lower slopes of Mont Ventoux. Froome took to running giving us the most memorable image of last year’s Tour. Not so memorable, unfortunately for him, was De Gendt winning the stage.

6. Erik Breukink

1988 Giro d’Italia – Stage 14

The most iconic image of the 1988 Giro which was won overall by the rider in the photo, Andy Hampsten. The Dutch rider Johan Van Der Velde was the first to the top of the Passo di Gavia that day but it was his compatriot Breukink who won the stage after a bone chilling descent.

7. Bernard Hinault

1977 Dauphiné Liberé – Stage 5

Hinault crashed on a descent and ended up off the road in a ditch. He got back on his bike, struggled, got back off, ran alongside his bike unable to figure out what was wrong with his legs, remounted, attacked, and won the stage and the Dauphiné.

8. Luis Leon Sanchez

2011 Tour de France – Stage 9

Juan Antonio Flecha was hit by a race vehicle attempting to overtake the breakaway resulting in Johnny Hoogerland being launched into a barbed wire fence. Fellow escapee Luis Leon Sanchez went on to win the stage.

9. Luc Leblanc

1996 Tour de France – Stage 7

The end of Miguel Indurain at Les Arcs. The big Spanard finally cracks having won the Tour seemingly without difficulty for the previous five years. Bjrane Riis went on to win the Tour, but Frenchman Luc Leblanc won the stage.

10. Djamolidin Abdoujaparov

1994 Tour de France – Stage 1

For once the Tashkent Terror stayed out of trouble to take the win as Laurent Jalabert crashed into an idiotic policeman who had stepped into the road to take a photo. It resulted in serious injuries for Jalabert and Wilfiried Nelissen in particular.

11. Bernard Hinault

1986 Tour de France – Stage 18

The most famous finish at Alpe d’Huez where Hinault and Greg LeMond seemingly set aside all of their bickering as they joyously crossed the line together hand in hand with the American gifting the stage to the Badger. The rivalry didn’t end there but LeMond ended up winning the Tour.

12. Ignatas Konovalovas

2009 Giro d’Italia – Stage 21

Denis Menchov falls on his arse again with his Giro win slipping away while he picked himself up. But the Russian didn’t lose too much time and did indeed hold on for the overall win. The Lithuanian Konovalovas was the surprise stage winner.

13. Ole Ritter

1969 Giro d’Italia – Stage 17

Eddy Merckx has tested positive and has been thrown off the race despite being in the Pink jersey. This was known as the ‘Savona’ incident. The previous days stage finishing in Savona was won by Roberto Ballini, but these famous photos of the anguished Merckx were taken the next morning when he had been informed of his positive test. Consequently, the winner of the stage in this day was the Danish Ole Ritter.

14. Tom Steels

1998 Tour de France – Stage 12

The peloton have had enough of being treated like criminals and stage a sit-down protest. The future of the whole Tour de France is on the line but eventually the riders are persuaded to get back on their bikes and Tom Steels won the bunch sprint.

15. Mark Cavendish

2010 Tour de France – Stage 11

Cavendish’s leadout man Mark Renshaw is busy headbutting Tyler Farrar’s leadout man Julian Dean. Renshaw’s tactic works as it results in a stage in for his man Cavendish. But the repeated headbutting saw Renshaw thrown off the Tour. Renshaw’s absence didn’t stop Cavendish winning a further two stages.

16. Abraham Olano

1997 Tour de France – Stage 20

Defending champion Bjarne Riis had had enough of this year’s race and in the final time trial he saw red when he was waiting too long for a bike change after a mechanical, resulting in one of the best known bike throws in cycling history. The Spaniard Abraham Olano took the win, impressively beating Jan Ullrich by 45 seconds.

17. Laurent Fignon

1987 Tour de France – Stage 21

“Just who is that rider coming up behind – because that looks like Roche! That looks like Stephen Roche… it’s Stephen Roche, has come over the line! He almost caught Pedro Delgado, I don’t believe it!”

Roche, requiring oxygen after the effort he had put in, had saved his Tour by limiting his losses to Delgado but it was Fignon who crossed the line first that day.

18. Claude Criquielion

1987 Tour of Flanders

Jesper Skibby is driven over by the race director’s car on the Koppenberg. Criquielion won the race as Sean Kelly honoured a previous agreement between the two that if one attacked the other would not follow. Kelly won the sprint behind for second place. He never would win the Tour of Flanders.

19. Juan Manuel Garate

2009 Tour de France – Stage 20

Andy Schleck pips Alberto Contador to the line with Lance Armstrong not far behind. But oft forgotten was the slogfest bewteen Garate and Tony Martin at the head of the race. A battle ultimately won by the Spaniard.

20. John Degenkolb

2015 Paris-Roubaix

Dozens of cyclists risk their lives by ducking under a level crossing just seconds before a train passes. All of them should have been disqualified but the commisaires showed mercy.

John Degenkolb ultimately won the race to add to his Milan San Remo he had won just a couple of weeks earlier.