| Deman Escapes Death and Wins Paris-Roubaix
The 21st edition of Paris-Roubaix was held on Sunday, April 4, 1920. The roads were mixed gravel, loose dirt, and tough cobblestones. The damage of WW1 had not been cleared.
Much to the delight of the P-R organizers, a star-studded start list included a long inventory of strong French and Belgian riders. And for the first time, Italian Campionissimo Constante Girardengo (Bianchi) came to race. He brought Bianchi teammate Gaetano Belloni, who had just won Milan-San Remo, to the race. Following a very difficult 1919 *, Paul Deman (Bel) returned to racing and entered the 1920 Paris-Roubaix.
SPECIAL NOTE: The 1920 finish line was moved from Avenue de Jussieu (behind the dairy) to Jean-Dubrulle Stadium in Roubaix.
When the starter’s flag dropped at 6 am in Suresnes, a suburb west of Paris, the riders faced freezing rain. The icy conditions caused multiple mishaps (punctures and crashes) by the elite of the race. Both Belloni and Francis Pelissier (J.B. Louvet) fell victim to mechanical mishaps and abandoned the race.
Race Status:
After a slow pace on the icy roads, the race accelerated on the descent of the Bois de Molle, near Beauvais (71 km / 280 km). A thirty-rider breakaway formed.
On the climb of Doullens hill (175 km / 263 km), Girardengo attacked and escaped the group. Henri Pelissier (J.B. Louvet) knew the Italian was dangerous and jumped onto his wheel. Seven others joined the breakaway.
Through Lens (222 km / 263 km), the lead group was shattered when Girardengo crashed and broke his bike, his teammate Giuseppe Azzini (Ita) and Jules Van Hevel (Bel) both punctured, and Eugene Christophe (Fra) struggled with the pace and dropped from the lead group.
The final selection of 4 riders: Lucien Buysse (Bel), Paul Deman (Bel), Honoré Barthélémy (Fra), and Henri Pélissier (Fra) were in the lead.
However, the final kilometers were crazy. Barthélémy and Deman took advantage of the misfortune of Buysse (mechanical problems) and Pelissier (rear tire puncture) and rode away. Close to the stadium Barthélémy attacked Deman, but his chain broke and had to stop. Deman was alone in the lead.
The Belgian entered a packed Jean-Dubrulle Stadium to huge ovation and rode solo to the victory. He became the first Belgian P-R Champion since Cyrille Van Hauwaert’s victory in 1908.
Eugene Christophe recovered his energy and rode past the unfortunate Buysse and Barthélémy to finish in second place.
SPECIAL NOTE: * During WW1 as Belgian messenger (spy) Paul Deman was captured by the Germans and sentenced to death in 1918. Before his scheduled execution could be carried out the Armistice (ending WW1) was declared and Deman was released from prison.
P-R April 4, 1920 |
263 Km, Suresnes (west of Paris) to Roubaix (Jean-Dubrulle Stadium)
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1.
Paul DEMAN (Bel) 10h47'20” |
2.
Eugene Christophe (Fra) |
3.
Lucien Buysse (Bel) |
Starters: 93 / Finishers: 22 Average Speed: 24.377 km/h |
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P-R 1919
P-R 1921
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