| Ugliness of WW2 Overshadows l'Enfer du Nord
The 42nd edition of Paris-Roubaix was held on Sunday, April 9, 1944.
The ugliness of war weighed heavily on the atmosphere surrounding the 1944 Paris-Roubaix. Days before the start of the race (April 1st and 2nd) the French Resistance in the Town of Ascq blew up two German military trains. Nazi troops responded by surrounding the Town and massacring 86 people. When race day arrived, the bad memories diverted the attention of the citizens in the northern zone.
The always powerful Belgian contingent presented 19-year-old phenom Rik Van Steenbergen as the pre-race favorite. The race rolled out of St. Denis (a northern suburb of Paris) with the usual “early km” skirmishes, but nothing developed until Doullens.
Race Status:
After aggressive early racing, an elite selection formed on the famed Doullens Hill (133 Km / 246 km), with Lucien Vlaemynck (Bel-Alcyon), Raymond Guegan (Fra-Dilecta), and Andre Desmoulins (Fra-Peugeot) cresting the hill with a gap.
In Arras (187 Km / 246 km), George Munier (Fra-Europe-Dunlop) and Manuel Huguet (Fra-Metropole) bridged the gap to join the trio.
Through the closing cobbled sections pre-race favorite Rik Van Steenbergen (Bel) crashed heavily and abandoned the race.
The tough cobbles of Henin-Lietard (Beaumont) (204 km / 246 km), numerous punctures, mechanical problems, and crashes caused the breakaway to thin. Munier and Desmoulins punctured and lost contact.
Six riders rode into Lesquin (231 km / 246 km), when a level railroad crossing stopped the group. With a delay of 20-seconds, an addition five riders joined the leaders.
Italian Jules Rossi, P-R 1937 winner, drove the pace into the velodrome with 3 laps of the track to go. Around the final bend Maurice De Simpelaere launched a powerful sprint to steal the victory from Rossi.
SPECIAL NOTE: Riders and journalists returning to Paris encountered dangerous passage. Exploding bombs and land mines returned everyone to the reality of the War.
P-R April 9, 1944 |
246 Km, St. Denis (north of Paris) to Roubaix (Velodrome)
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1.
Maurice DE SIMPELAERE (Bel) 6h09'57” |
2.
Jules Rossi (Ita) |
3.
Louis Thietard (Fra) |
Starters: 172 / Finishers: 89 Average Speed: 39.897 km/h |
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P-R 1943 P-R 1945
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