The Tour de France 2023 is fast approaching, and the hype machine is beginning to tick into overdrive.
For us, that means one thing above all: It’s BikeTips Tour de France Pub Quiz time!
Get ready to test your fandom of the world’s most prestigious and challenging bicycle race. For over a century, the Tour de France has captivated audiences with its grueling mountain climbs, thrilling sprints, and tales of athletic prowess.
From the early days of the race to the modern era, we’ll probe your knowledge of the triumphs, rivalries, and records that have shaped the Tour de France into the spectacle it is today.
This quiz is split into three rounds of ten questions, and you’ll find all the answers at the bottom.
So, assemble your domestiques, grab your helmets, and let the BikeTips Tour de France Pub Quiz begin!
Tour de France Pub Quiz Round 1: Le Grand Départ
Question 1
In which year was the first Tour de France held?
Question 2
What was the longest individual stage ever at the Tour de France?
- a) 482 km
- b) 365 km
- c) 212 km
- d) 647 km
Question 3
Many riders have won multiple individual stages at Le Tour, but to win the General Classification multiple times makes you a member of a much more exclusive club.
Which four cyclists share the record for the most overall victories (General Classification) at the Tour de France?
There’s a bonus point on offer if you know how many Tours they won!
Question 4
Which rider has spent the most individual days in the yellow jersey at the Tour de France?
There’s another bonus point if you know the number of days!
Question 5
French and Belgian riders have won the most Tours by some margin, with 36 and 18 wins respectively.
Question 6
European riders have dominated the Tour de France, with only three non-Europeans ever winning the race.
Who are they?
(1 point for each)
Question 7
Having dominated much of the history of the Tour de France, French riders have hit a dry patch in recent decades.
Who was the last French rider to win the Tour de France, and what was the year?
(1 point for the name, 1 point for the year)
Question 8
Which cyclist won the most consecutive Tour de France titles?
Bonus point if you can name all of the years!
(Hint: It’s not Lance Armstrong, whose seven consecutive titles were stripped from him following his admission of doping.)
Question 9
Completing the Tour at all is a colossal achievement, with many of the riders lining up at the Grand Départ failing to make it all the way to Paris due to injury, fatigue, or simply failing to make the time cut.
In fact, being in last place overall is viewed as a badge of honor for many in the peloton, as a symbol of perseverance in the face of adversity and a refusal to give in.
But what’s the nickname given to the rider in last place overall in the General Classification?
Question 10
One of the most enduring sights of the Tour de France is the iconic yellow jersey, won by the leader of the General Classification.
But which classification do you have to be leading to wear the white jersey?
Tour de France Pub Quiz Round 2: Into The Mountains
Question 11
The polka-dot jersey worn by the King of the Mountains leader is another prestigious prize at the Tour de France, arguably second only to the yellow jersey.
But which cyclist has won the most King of the Mountains titles at the Tour de France?
Question 12
Team strategy is a core element of the Tour de France. A team leader is nothing without the aid of their trusted domestiques, after all.
But which of these is NOT a real rider type within a cycling team?
a) Grimpeur
b) Puncheur
c) Pompier
d) Rouleur
Question 13
Chris Froome has won multiple Tour de France titles, making him the most successful British male road cyclist of all time.
But which country was he born in?
Question 14
How many rest days are there in the Tour de France?
Question 15
The Tour de France didn’t take place during WWII, despite pressure from the occupying Germans who sought the propaganda opportunities the Tour would afford.
The Tour didn’t return until 1947 (although there were two competing races in 1946, both of which claimed to be the legitimate Tour de France).
But can you name the only three cyclists to win an official Tour de France in the 1940s?
(1 point per correct name)
Question 16
What is the unofficial name given to the hardest and most mountainous stage of each year’s Tour de France route?
Question 17
Which two riders share the record for most individual Tour de France stage victories (as of 2022)?
(1 point per cyclist, bonus point for the number of wins!)
Question 18
Lance Armstrong defined cycling for a decade, becoming arguably the most recognizable sportsman on the planet by winning seven consecutive (now-rescinded) Tour de France titles, before it all came crashing down with his admission of doping in 2013.
But which team did he famously ride for during his years of apparent Tour de France glory?
Question 19
Can you match these legendary Tour de France cyclists with their nicknames? (1 point for each).
a) “The Badger”
b) “The Cannibal”
c) “Big Mig”
d) “The Manx Missile”
e) “Il Campionissimo”
f) “The Pirate”
Question 20
One legendary French cyclist never managed to win the Tour de France – or even spend one day wearing the yellow jersey – despite finishing on the final podium eight times and winning seven individual stages.
Who was the “Eternal Second”, as he became known to Tour de France fans?
Tour de France Pub Quiz Round 3: Champs-Élysées
Question 21
Which type of stage is known to cycling fans as “The Race of Truth”?
Question 22
Which rider won the inaugural edition of the long-awaited Tour de France Femmes in 2022?
Question 23
Greg Lemond famously won the 1989 edition by a margin of just 8 seconds, the narrowest finish in Tour de France history, overcoming a 50-second deficit with a time trial performance for the ages on the final stage into Paris.
It’s often referred to as the greatest Tour de France finish of all time – but who was the rider to have victory so cruelly snatched away from them at the final hurdle?
Question 24
Alberto Contador was stripped of the 2010 Tour de France title in a court hearing in 2012, in which it emerged he had tested positive for a banned substance during the race.
Which rider was retrospectively awarded first place at the 2010 Tour following the Spaniard’s disqualification?
Question 25
Who was the first British rider to win the Tour de France?
Question 26
On which iconic Tour de France mountain finish did promising young rider Tom Pidcock claim his first-ever stage win at the 2022 Tour?
Question 27
The Col du Tourmalet is arguably the most famous climb in the world of cycling, and was the first ever mountain pass to feature in the Tour de France all the way back in 1910.
But which of France’s mountain ranges is the Tourmalet located in?
Question 28
The 2020 Tour de France ended in dramatic fashion, with the champion decided on the final time trial as two compatriots fought it out for victory.
But who were the first and second-placed riders, and what was their shared nationality?
(1 point for each rider, and 1 point for their nationality)
Question 29
In which year was the first time trial stage introduced in the Tour de France?
a) 1934
b) 1954
c) 1984
Question 30
On Stage 11 of the 2022 Tour de France, Jonas Vingegaard broke the seemingly-imperious Tadej Pogačar on the day’s final climb, taking +2:51 out of the Slovenian to put a chokehold on the yellow jersey that he would keep all the way to Paris.
But on which mountain, not used at the Tour since 1986, did Vingegaard mount his famous Stage 11 attack?
Tour de France Pub Quiz: The Answers
Round 1
1) 1903.
2) a. 482 km.
3) Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Jacques Anquetil, and Miguel Induráin each won 5 Tours de France.
4) Eddy Merckx (96 days).
5) Spain (12 General Classification wins).
6) Greg LeMond (USA), Cadel Evans (Australia), Egan Bernal (Colombia).
7) Bernard Hinault, 1985.
8) Miguel Induráin, five consecutive Tour de France wins (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995).
9) The “Lanterne Rouge” (Red Lantern).
10) The Young Rider Classification (under-26).
Round 2
11) Richard Virenque (7 King of the Mountains titles).
12) c) Pompier is not a real cycling role. A grimpeur is a climber, a puncheur specializes in short, sharp climbs, and a rouleur is an all-rounder suited to rolling hills or for a general role in breakaways and so on. A pompier is not a cyclist, it’s a French fireman!
13) Kenya.
14) There are two rest days in the Tour de France.
15) Jean Robic, Gino Bartali, and Fausto Coppi.
16) The “Queen Stage”.
17) Eddy Merckx and Mark Cavendish (34 stage wins).
18) U.S. Postal Service.
19: a) Bernard Hinault.
b) Eddy Merckx.
c) Miguel Induráin.
d) Mark Cavendish.
e) Fausto Coppi.
f) Marco Pantani.
20) Raymond Poulidor.
Round 3
21) Individual Time Trial (ITT).
23) Laurent Fignon.
24) Andy Schleck.
25) Bradley Wiggins.
26) Alpe d’Huez.
27) The Pyrenees.
28) Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič, both from Slovenia.
29) 1934.
30) Col du Granon.