20th Paris-Roubaix 1919 (France)

Journalists Proclaim a Cycling Legend: “The Hell of North”

The bloody battles of WW1 were over and 1919 marked the time to return to racing. The war had devastated the roads north of Paris and Paris-Roubaix official scrambled to reorganize the race route. Upon inspection of the brutal war-torn course journalists coined the phrase “the Hell of the North” to describe the 1919 P-R.

War torn road of Nothern France

Huge, 'racing starved' crowds braved cold temperatures and rain to witness the race all the way to Roubaix.

Most of the 136 riders who started the 1919 Paris-Roubaix had not trained enough for racing. Only Philippe Thys, Henri Pélissier, and Honoré Barthélémy carried superior fitness into the race.

Pélissier and Thys had broken away from the last of the lead group when a level railroad crossing barrier caused the duo to stop. The delay allowed Barthélémy to rejoin the breakaway. The three riders relentlessly attacked each other on the final 80 km to the finish.

The breakaway on the Hill at Doullens

The Roubaix Velodrome was under repair so the finish in 1919 was moved to Avenue de Jussieu in Roubaix (behind the dairy).

As the trio approached the dairy Pélissier spotted the new finish line and attacked. Thys was not able to answer the attack and Henri Pelissier (Fra) out sprint the Belgian for the victory.

SPECIAL NOTE: Sadly, two great Paris-Roubaix champions lost their lives fighting in World War 1.

Octave Lapize (Fra), P-R champion in 1909, 1910, and 1911 died during the July 14, 1917 battle at Verdun when his plane was shot down during a combat mission.

Francois Faber (Lux), P-R champion in 1913, died heroically on the battlefield during the May 9, 1915 Battle of Artois at Carency near Arras.

P-R 1914

P-R 1920

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