51st Paris-Roubaix 1953 (France)

The Making of a Champion

A victory at Paris-Roubaix, one of cycling's 5 monuments, can make a rider's career. In 1953 promising Belgian Germain Derycke was listed as the favorite for victory, but the strong field included defending champions Rik Van Steenbergen, Belgians Raymond Impanis and Stan Ockers. 168 riders departed St. Denis with several neo-pros attacking from the gun.

After a general re-grouping in Amiens the elites came to the front and real racing got started. Rik Van Steenbergen escaped the peloton with 130 km to the finish. The other contenders started their pursuit on the Doullens Hill. Approaching Arras, slightly more than 50 km to go, and a 4 rider group held a slim lead.

Italian Donato Piazzo made his bid for victory on the hill at Hem, the final difficulty of the race. Unfortunately the attack failed to drop Derycke and the 2 entered the velodrome together.

Around the final bend Piazzo dropped down the track and led out the sprint. Derycke powered past the Italian down the final stretch to claim the first big win of his illustrious career.

P-R 1952

P-R 1954

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