17th Paris-Roubaix 1912 (France)

Hometown Hero Peaks for Paris-Roubaix

A very talented field came to Chatou (west of Paris) for the start of the 1912 Paris-Roubaix. Henri Pelissier (Fra), winner of the 1912 Milan-San Remo a week before P-R, was pitted against Gustave Garrigou (Fra) as the major favorites.

The race left Chatou at great speed, which created several major crashes and caused numerous riders to abandon early in the race. An elite lead group began to form through the mining town of Carvin.

The revelation of the group was a rider from Roubaix named Charles Crupelandt (Fra). Crupelandt led Garrigou as the pair entered the Velodrome for the final laps. Otave Lapize in an attempt to claim his 4th consecutive P-R victory opened a small gap as the group entered the velodrome. Crupelandt and Garrigou caught a tiring Lapize. The sprint was led out by Lapize, who was Crupelandt's La Française-Diamant teammate, with Crupelandt glued to his wheel in second. Crupelandt excelled in the final meters and held off a late charge by Garrigou. To absolute delight of the huge velodrome crowd, Roubaix's Charles Crupelandt claimed the prestigious P-R victory.

P-R 1911

P-R 1913

Return to the Timeline ToC

Return to the Race Snippets ToC