“The Queen of the Classics” it is called, and after World War I “The Hell of the North” as well, has been a race full of incident. German rider Josef Fischer won the inaugural Paris-Roubaix event in 1896. His example was not followed by a countryman until 2015, when John Degenkolb was the victor. Although held in France, Belgians have claimed 57 wins, with the French next at 28. Going down the list, Fabian Cancellara delivered three of Switzerland’s four wins.
In a race often held in poor weather and over terrible roads, Paris-Roubaix has had more than its share of controversies. My favourite incident occurred in 1907, when the solo race leader about to enter the velodrome at the finish was held up by a policeman demanding proof that the tax on his bicycle had been paid!
A rider who went on to greater renown elsewhere was 1899 winner Albert Champion, who won the race in a motor-paced edition, and then went on to become a celebrated manufacturer of automobile spark plugs in the United States. There is an excellent book about his very colourful life which we reviewed here.
In 1949 there was some confusion at the finish which resulted at first in a declaration that there was no winner, followed shortly after that by, yes, in fact there were two winners: Serse Coppi of Italy and Andre Mahe of France.
One notes that the entertaining history of Paris-Roubaix reaches far back but thanks to the massive vault of videos that is YouTube we can relive more recent editions of the race. Here is a selection of some outstanding editions:
1. In 1988 a breakaway of 13 gradually was reduced to two riders. To this day the attack of 222 kms remains the longest successful one in Paris-Roubaix history. Those two remaining riders were a pair of domestiques: Dirk Demol of France and Thomas Wegmuller of Switzerland. As they entered the velodrome for the final laps, a plastic bag became lodged in Wegmuller’s rear derailleur. Unwilling to take advantage of this, Demol rode behind the Swiss as Wegmuller’s team car came up and staff attempted to clear the bag. They were only partially successful and Demol went on to sprint to victory as his opponent was unable to shift gear.
INSERT LINK VIDEO LINK HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQsJK81rZ4E
2. In 1996, the Mapei team showed utter dominance in taking all three podium spots, with Johan Museeuw on the top step. This was the second of what were to be Mapei’s five wins in six years and, incredibly, taking all three podium spots three times. Museeuw himself was to win the race three times in his career.
INSERT VIDEO LINK HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAFfaBcv3zw
3. After winning the Tour of Flanders in 1998, Johan Museeuw was to have a serious crash on the Arenberg sector during Paris-Roubaix a week later, smashing his knee cap. There was fear that an amputation would be needed to save his life but he was able to pull through. He recovered to the extent that he was able to return to racing and won Paris-Roubaix again in 2000 for the second time, and in 2002 for the third. The 2002 race is noteworthy also for another reason. It was a messy, mud-soaked edition and USPS team leader George Hincapie, whom Paris-Roubaix never seemed to favour, slid off the road into a ditch, ending his chances. His teammate, a first-year pro named Tom Boonen, rode brilliantly to come in third.
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