During
the dark, wet days of winter,
With
the long, warm days of summer a distant memory
When
a dry day in the mid 40’s gets us excited, & spring sunshine
Still
seems impossibly far away, we all need
some
inspiration from Pro Cycling…
HEROES and LEGENDS
Q1. Who was the first American to win
a major European National Tour? Think carefully…
Q2. Who is the last rider to win
Paris-Roubaix and then win Liege-Bastogne-Liege the following week?
Keep in mind that today almost NO rider even tows the line for both!
The first being the domain of the big, strong cobbled specialists
(think Boonen & Cancellara) and the latter being for the climbers
(think Andy Schleck & Joaquim Rodriguez).
Q3. Who is the last rider to win the
Tour de France while clad in the Rainbow stripes of World Road
Champion?
A1. Marianne Martin won the first
women's Tour de France in 1984. Andrew Hampsten (La Vie Claire), in
the 1986 Tour de Suisse. Of course, this was overshadowed the next
month when his teammate Greg Lemond (defeating his other teammate and
domestique deluxe in Switzerland, Bernard Hinault) triumphed in a
certain race in France.
A2. Irishman Sean Kelly, “King of
the Classics” who did this unlikely double in 1984, a year in which
he won a staggering 33 races.
A3. American Greg Lemond, then riding
for the French ‘Z’ Team, back in 1990.
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