58th Paris-Roubaix 1960 (France)

Victory for a Trooper

The Municipal Stadium in St. Denis hosted 156 riders at the start of the 1960 Paris-Roubaix Classic. Again this year additional young and talented riders came with hope of challenging the “Old Guard” of cycling.

The early attacks came from two French superstars, Louison Bobet and Roger Riviere. The duo held an early 4 minute lead after 50 km of racing. A concerned Rik Van Looy feared the increasing lead and started to chase.

Shortly after the Doullens Hill the breakaway was caught. A young British phenom named Tom Simpson attacked immediately after the junction and steadily increased his advantage.

Eighteen kilometers from the finish in Cysoing his lead was 1'25” on a hard charging group. From the select group only Pino Cerami and Tino Sabbadini could catch Simpson.

Cerimi, a tireless worker for Rik Van Steenbergen, launched the attack of his career at the velodrome and sprinted home for the prestigious victory.

P-R 1959

P-R 1961

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