Paris-Brussels
Encyclopedia
Paris–Brussels is a semi classic
Europe
an bicycle race
. It is one of the oldest races on the international calendar.
event over a distance of 397 km, Belgian Andre Henry took the inaugural victory from compatriot Charles Delbecque with France's Fernand Augenault coming in third. The race did not return to the racing calendar until 1906 when it was run as a two day event on the 3rd and 4 June. The first stage of this 1906 event was run from the Paris suburb of Villiers-sur-Marne
to Reims
over 152 km and was won by France's Maurice Bardonneau. Albert Dupont took the more challenging second stage on the following day from Reims to Brussels over 239 km to take the overall race victory from compatriots Jules Patou and Guillaume Coeckelberg. The following year the race reverted to being a one day race and quickly established itself as one of the Spring Classics with a date towards the end of April, between Paris–Roubaix and Gent–Wevelgem. The event lost its prestige during the 1960s when the race was beset by traffic problems between the two capitals and the Dutch
promoted Amstel Gold Race
took its place on the classics calendar. The race was not run between 1967 and 1972.
When the race returned in 1973 it was staged on a midweek date towards the end of September, just before Paris-Tours. The 1973 race was won by Eddy Merckx
. In 1996 the race was switched from its midweek date back to being run on a Saturday. The most individual wins stood for a long time at three, by Octave Lapize
(France
) and Felix Sellier
(Belgium
). Lapize won in 1911, 1912 and 1913 and Sellier in 1922, 1923 and 1924. Lapize could have been a four time winner but was disqualified after crossing the line first in the 1910 race when he and two other riders did not observe a mid race neutralised section, Maurice Brocco
who crossed the line in fourth place was declared the eventual winner. In 2007, Robbie McEwen
broke the record by winning his fourth race, and bettered this again with a fifth win in 2008.
In 2005 the race was set to change its name to the Grand Prix Eddy Merckx when an agreement was reached by the race organisers to amalgamate the two events. However, the deal fell through at the last minute and Paris–Brussels retained its name and the Grand Prix Eddy Merckx
, a two rider time trial event, disappeared from the racing calendar.
and Cyrille van Hauwaert
had broken away and the race looked certain to be decided between them when both riders were knocked off their bikes by a police horse allowing Lapize to overtake and claim victory. The 1921 race won by Frenchman Robert Reboul was made controversial by the fact that a group of riders chasing a 15 man breakaway (including Reboul) was sent down the wrong route by the race director. One of the riders sent the wrong way in that 1921 race was Felix Sellier who made up for that disappointment by triumphing in the next three editions of the race. His three victories were not without difficulties however, in 1922 he survived a fierce attack from a cloud of insects, in 1923 he had to catch a break that had gained a fifteen minute advantage and in 1924 he suffered two punctures in the latter part of the race just as the vital break was forming.
The victory by Belgian Ernest Mottard in 1930 featured one of the great escapes in the history of the race, Mottard broke away from the peloton with 130 miles (209 km) remaining and stayed away until the finish. Ireland’s Shay Elliott
was particularly unfortunate in 1958, he had a lead of over a minute with only three miles remaining when he smashed the frame of this bike with no team car near at hand, he was offered a touring bicycle by a spectator but was quickly caught by the chasing bunch and finished well down the field with Belgium‘s Rik van Looy
taking final victory. The 1963 edition of the race was made memorable by a small breakaway forming well before the border into Belgium, which was a rare event in itself. The break established a 13 minute lead and included Britain’s Tom Simpson
who was expected to win, being the best sprinter in the break, however his gears slipped in the final sprint and he lost out to France’s Jean Stablinski
.
The 1966 edition of Paris–Brussels was to be the last for seven years, as the race was beset by traffic problems to the route and a loss of prestige as the Amstel Gold Race
took its place on the Spring Classics calendar. However, the 1966 race was made memorable by Italian Felice Gimondi
who had won the 1965 Tour de France
and seven day earlier had triumphed at Paris-Roubaix
. Gimondi was the favourite for the race and a marked man, he lived up to his billing by breaking away with the help of team mate Dino Zandegu and winning the race in what was then a record time. Marc Demeyer
claimed a close victory from Roger De Vlaeminck
and Roger Rosiers
in 1974 in the town of Alsemberg
which hosted the finish of the race between 1973 and 1980. Gimondi’s record time lasted until 1975 when Freddy Maertens
won the race in what was then a record average speed for a professional race and being awarded the Ruban Jaune
for averaging 46.11 km per hour throughout the 285.5 km course. Felice Gimondi won again in 1976, ten years after his first victory, once more breaking away while the sprinters watched each other.
The 1983 race saw Sweden’s Tommy Prim
become the first Scandinavian rider to win a classic race. The 1994 race saw a breakaway by Sean Yates
, Rolf Sørensen
and Franco Ballerini
, animosity existed between Yates and Sørensen after a shirt pulling incident in the Tour de France of that year, however, Sørensen dropped his breakaway companions and triumphed. The 1983 victory by Prim saw the start of the trend of the Paris–Brussels winner coming from more diverse nationalities from non traditional cycling nations with victories going to riders from Germany, Holland, Denmark, Latvia, Australia and Luxembourg in the ensuing years. 2010 saw the first victory in the race by a Spaniard when Francisco Ventoso
took victory as the race finished in the Uccle
municipality of Brussels for the first time.
in 1919 the race length was 417 km but this has reduced over the years with the 2010 edition being over a distance of 218 km, although as recently as 1987 the distance was 309 km when Wim Arras
triumphed. The quickest edition of the race was 1975 when a tailwind helped Freddy Maertens
finish in 46.11kmh.
, in Picardie
, 85 km north-east of Paris
, although prior to 1996 the race started in Noyon
and during the 1980s in Senlis
. The race is level for much of its route and quite often there is a headwind against the riders. The last 25 km of the race are characterised by a series of cobbled climbs such as the Alsemberg
, Mont Saint Roch and the Keperenberg and it is on these climbs that the winning break is often made. The race ended for many years in the Anderlecht
district of Brussels
outside the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium
in the Place de Linde. However the 2005 edition saw a new finishing line at the Atomium
north of the centre of Brussels.
The quality of field has suffered since the Vuelta a España
moved to September in 1995, many sprinter-roadmen preferring the Spanish Tour.
Classic cycle races
The classic cycle races are one-day professional cycling road races in the international calendar. Most of the events, all run in western Europe, have been fixtures on the professional calendar for decades and the oldest ones date back to the 19th Century. They are normally held at roughly the same...
Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an bicycle race
Road bicycle racing
Road bicycle racing is a bicycle racing sport held on roads, using racing bicycles. The term "road racing" is usually applied to events where competing riders start simultaneously with the winner being the first to the line at the end of the course .Historically, the most...
. It is one of the oldest races on the international calendar.
History
Paris–Brussels was first run on 12 August 1893 as an amateurAmateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
event over a distance of 397 km, Belgian Andre Henry took the inaugural victory from compatriot Charles Delbecque with France's Fernand Augenault coming in third. The race did not return to the racing calendar until 1906 when it was run as a two day event on the 3rd and 4 June. The first stage of this 1906 event was run from the Paris suburb of Villiers-sur-Marne
Villiers-sur-Marne
Villiers-sur-Marne is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.The commune of Villiers-sur-Marne is part of the sector of Porte de Paris, one of the four sectors of the "new town" of Marne-la-Vallée....
to Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
over 152 km and was won by France's Maurice Bardonneau. Albert Dupont took the more challenging second stage on the following day from Reims to Brussels over 239 km to take the overall race victory from compatriots Jules Patou and Guillaume Coeckelberg. The following year the race reverted to being a one day race and quickly established itself as one of the Spring Classics with a date towards the end of April, between Paris–Roubaix and Gent–Wevelgem. The event lost its prestige during the 1960s when the race was beset by traffic problems between the two capitals and the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
promoted Amstel Gold Race
Amstel Gold Race
The Amstel Gold Race is a road bicycle race held in the southern part of the province of Limburg, Netherlands. Since 1989 it has been among the races included in season long rankings tables, as part of the UCI Road World Cup , the UCI ProTour , UCI World Ranking and from 2011 the UCI World Tour...
took its place on the classics calendar. The race was not run between 1967 and 1972.
When the race returned in 1973 it was staged on a midweek date towards the end of September, just before Paris-Tours. The 1973 race was won by Eddy Merckx
Eddy Merckx
Edouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx , better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional cyclist. The French magazine Vélo called him "the most accomplished rider that cycling has ever known." The American publication, VeloNews, called him the greatest and most successful cyclist of all...
. In 1996 the race was switched from its midweek date back to being run on a Saturday. The most individual wins stood for a long time at three, by Octave Lapize
Octave Lapize
Octave Lapize was a French professional road racing cyclist and track cyclist.Most famous for winning the 1910 Tour de France and a bronze medal at the 1908 Summer Olympics in the men's 100 kilometres, he was a three-time winner of one-day classics, Paris–Roubaix and Paris–Brussels.In his first...
(France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) and Felix Sellier
Félix Sellier
Félix Sellier was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer.-Stage victory in 1921 Tour de France:...
(Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
). Lapize won in 1911, 1912 and 1913 and Sellier in 1922, 1923 and 1924. Lapize could have been a four time winner but was disqualified after crossing the line first in the 1910 race when he and two other riders did not observe a mid race neutralised section, Maurice Brocco
Maurice Brocco
Maurice Brocco was a French professional road bicycle racer between 1906 and 1927. In 1911 he won a stage in the Tour de France. He participated six times in the Tour de France, but finished the race only once. In his later career he was successful in six-day races.In the 1911 Tour de France,...
who crossed the line in fourth place was declared the eventual winner. In 2007, Robbie McEwen
Robbie McEwen
Robbie McEwen is an Australian professional road bicycle racer, for on the UCI ProTour, specializing in sprint finishes...
broke the record by winning his fourth race, and bettered this again with a fifth win in 2008.
In 2005 the race was set to change its name to the Grand Prix Eddy Merckx when an agreement was reached by the race organisers to amalgamate the two events. However, the deal fell through at the last minute and Paris–Brussels retained its name and the Grand Prix Eddy Merckx
Grand Prix Eddy Merckx
Grand Prix Eddy Merckx was a cycle race around Brussels, where Eddy Merckx was born. It was held between 1980 and 2004, disappearing after the creation of the UCI ProTour in 2005. The race was initially an individual time trial, becoming a Team time trial of two riders in 1998.- Winners :...
, a two rider time trial event, disappeared from the racing calendar.
Memorable races and victories
Octave Lapize’s second victory in 1912 had an element of good fortune about it, Lucien Petit-BretonLucien Petit-Breton
Lucien Georges Mazan was a French racing cyclist .He was born in Plessé, Loire-Atlantique , a part of Brittany, now part of Pays de la Loire. When he was six he moved with his parents to Buenos Aires where he took Argentine nationality...
and Cyrille van Hauwaert
Cyrille van Hauwaert
Cyrille van Hauwaert was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer, known for winning classics as Bordeaux–Paris , Milan – San Remo and Paris–Roubaix . In 1909 he won the first stage of the Tour de France, and was leading the general classification for one day.- Palmarès :19071908...
had broken away and the race looked certain to be decided between them when both riders were knocked off their bikes by a police horse allowing Lapize to overtake and claim victory. The 1921 race won by Frenchman Robert Reboul was made controversial by the fact that a group of riders chasing a 15 man breakaway (including Reboul) was sent down the wrong route by the race director. One of the riders sent the wrong way in that 1921 race was Felix Sellier who made up for that disappointment by triumphing in the next three editions of the race. His three victories were not without difficulties however, in 1922 he survived a fierce attack from a cloud of insects, in 1923 he had to catch a break that had gained a fifteen minute advantage and in 1924 he suffered two punctures in the latter part of the race just as the vital break was forming.
The victory by Belgian Ernest Mottard in 1930 featured one of the great escapes in the history of the race, Mottard broke away from the peloton with 130 miles (209 km) remaining and stayed away until the finish. Ireland’s Shay Elliott
Seamus Elliott
Seamus 'Shay' Elliott was an Irish road bicycle racer.Shay Elliott was the first Irish cyclist to make a mark as a professional rider in continental Europe....
was particularly unfortunate in 1958, he had a lead of over a minute with only three miles remaining when he smashed the frame of this bike with no team car near at hand, he was offered a touring bicycle by a spectator but was quickly caught by the chasing bunch and finished well down the field with Belgium‘s Rik van Looy
Rik Van Looy
Henri van Looy is a Belgian former professional cyclist of the post-war period, nicknamed the King of the Classics or Emperor of Herentals...
taking final victory. The 1963 edition of the race was made memorable by a small breakaway forming well before the border into Belgium, which was a rare event in itself. The break established a 13 minute lead and included Britain’s Tom Simpson
Tom Simpson
Tom Simpson was the most successful English road racing cyclist of the post-war years. He infamously died of exhaustion on the slopes of Mont Ventoux during the 13th stage of the Tour de France in 1967...
who was expected to win, being the best sprinter in the break, however his gears slipped in the final sprint and he lost out to France’s Jean Stablinski
Jean Stablinski
Jean Stablewski, known as Jean Stablinski was a French professional cyclist from a family of Polish immigrants. He rode from 1952 to 1968, winning 105 races as a professional...
.
The 1966 edition of Paris–Brussels was to be the last for seven years, as the race was beset by traffic problems to the route and a loss of prestige as the Amstel Gold Race
Amstel Gold Race
The Amstel Gold Race is a road bicycle race held in the southern part of the province of Limburg, Netherlands. Since 1989 it has been among the races included in season long rankings tables, as part of the UCI Road World Cup , the UCI ProTour , UCI World Ranking and from 2011 the UCI World Tour...
took its place on the Spring Classics calendar. However, the 1966 race was made memorable by Italian Felice Gimondi
Felice Gimondi
Felice Gimondi is an Italian former professional racing cyclist.With his 1968 victory at the Vuelta a España, only three years after becoming a professional cyclist, Gimondi, nicknamed "The Phoenix", was the second cyclist to win all three Grand Tours of road cycling: Tour de France , Giro...
who had won the 1965 Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
and seven day earlier had triumphed at Paris-Roubaix
Paris-Roubaix
Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France near the Belgian frontier. Since its beginning in 1896 until 1967 it started in Paris and ended in Roubaix ; since 1968 the start city is Compiègne , whilst the finish is still in Roubaix...
. Gimondi was the favourite for the race and a marked man, he lived up to his billing by breaking away with the help of team mate Dino Zandegu and winning the race in what was then a record time. Marc Demeyer
Marc Demeyer
Marc Demeyer was a professional road racing cyclist from Avelgem, Belgium. He died of a heart attack at the age of 31....
claimed a close victory from Roger De Vlaeminck
Roger De Vlaeminck
Roger De Vlaeminck is a Belgian former professional racing cyclist. He was described by Rik Van Looy as '"The most talented and the only real classics rider of his generation"...
and Roger Rosiers
Roger Rosiers
Roger Rosiers is a former professional road racing cyclist from Vremde, Belgium.- Major achievements :1965196719681969-External links:*...
in 1974 in the town of Alsemberg
Alsemberg
Alsemberg is a rural town with about 5,300 inhabitants in the municipality of Beersel, in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium, situated south of Brussels....
which hosted the finish of the race between 1973 and 1980. Gimondi’s record time lasted until 1975 when Freddy Maertens
Freddy Maertens
Freddy Maertens is a Belgian former professional racing cyclist and twice World Road Race Champion.- Career :...
won the race in what was then a record average speed for a professional race and being awarded the Ruban Jaune
Ruban Jaune
The Ruban Jaune is a cycling trophy created in 1936 by Henri Desgrange, awarded to the rider recording the fastest average speed in a professional cycling race or stage longer than 200km. The trophy’s name is thought is to have come from comparison with the Blue Riband trophy awarded to the...
for averaging 46.11 km per hour throughout the 285.5 km course. Felice Gimondi won again in 1976, ten years after his first victory, once more breaking away while the sprinters watched each other.
The 1983 race saw Sweden’s Tommy Prim
Tommy Prim
Tommy Prim was a professional cyclist who rode for the Italian Bianchi team between the years of 1980 and 1986...
become the first Scandinavian rider to win a classic race. The 1994 race saw a breakaway by Sean Yates
Sean Yates
Sean Yates is an English former professional cyclist and head Directeur Sportif at Team Sky.-Career:Yates competed at the 1980 Summer Olympics, finishing sixth in the 4,000m individual pursuit. He also competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics...
, Rolf Sørensen
Rolf Sørensen
Rolf Sørensen is a former Danish professional road bicycle racer. He is the most successful Danish bicycle racer ever, with his 53 victories over 17 seasons. He is currently working as a cycling commentator and agent. Born in Helsinge in Denmark, Sørensen moved to Italy at the age of 17, where he...
and Franco Ballerini
Franco Ballerini
Franco Ballerini was an Italian road racing cyclist.Born in Florence, his greatest exploits as a rider came with his two victories in the cycling classic Paris–Roubaix, riding for the Mapei cycling team. In 1993 he was beaten on the line by Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle in an exciting Paris–Roubaix finale...
, animosity existed between Yates and Sørensen after a shirt pulling incident in the Tour de France of that year, however, Sørensen dropped his breakaway companions and triumphed. The 1983 victory by Prim saw the start of the trend of the Paris–Brussels winner coming from more diverse nationalities from non traditional cycling nations with victories going to riders from Germany, Holland, Denmark, Latvia, Australia and Luxembourg in the ensuing years. 2010 saw the first victory in the race by a Spaniard when Francisco Ventoso
Francisco Ventoso
Francisco José Ventoso Alberdi is a Spanish road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam . Ventoso turned professional with in 2004 before moving to in 2008. He won the 2010 Paris-Bruxelles in a bunch sprint...
took victory as the race finished in the Uccle
Uccle
Uccle or Ukkel is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium.Uccle is known for its well-to-do areas, its green spots and its high rental rates.-History:...
municipality of Brussels for the first time.
Race length
Before 1926, the race was always over 400 km, with the longest versions being 440 km in 1913 and 1914. When the race returned after a break for World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in 1919 the race length was 417 km but this has reduced over the years with the 2010 edition being over a distance of 218 km, although as recently as 1987 the distance was 309 km when Wim Arras
Wim Arras
Wim Arras is a former Belgian cyclist who specialized in sprinting. He won the Paris–Brussels race and seemed to gain international fame on his 24th birthday. His cycling career ended abruptly when he had to retire due to a motorcycle accident in 1990.-References:...
triumphed. The quickest edition of the race was 1975 when a tailwind helped Freddy Maertens
Freddy Maertens
Freddy Maertens is a Belgian former professional racing cyclist and twice World Road Race Champion.- Career :...
finish in 46.11kmh.
Route
The race starts at SoissonsSoissons
Soissons is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France, located on the Aisne River, about northeast of Paris. It is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital of the Suessiones...
, in Picardie
Picardie
Picardy is one of the 27 regions of France. It is located in the northern part of France.-History:The historical province of Picardy stretched from north of Noyon to Calais, via the whole of the Somme department and the north of the Aisne department...
, 85 km north-east of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, although prior to 1996 the race started in Noyon
Noyon
Noyon is a commune in the Oise department in northern France.It lies on the Oise Canal, 100 km north of Paris.-History:...
and during the 1980s in Senlis
Senlis, Oise
Senlis is a French commune located in the Oise department near Paris. It has a long and rich heritage, having traversed centuries of history. This medieval town has welcomed some of the most renowned figures in French history, including Hugh Capet, Louis IX, the Marshall of France, Anne of Kiev and...
. The race is level for much of its route and quite often there is a headwind against the riders. The last 25 km of the race are characterised by a series of cobbled climbs such as the Alsemberg
Alsemberg
Alsemberg is a rural town with about 5,300 inhabitants in the municipality of Beersel, in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium, situated south of Brussels....
, Mont Saint Roch and the Keperenberg and it is on these climbs that the winning break is often made. The race ended for many years in the Anderlecht
Anderlecht
Anderlecht is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region.There are several historically and architecturally distinct districts within the Anderlecht municipality.-Pronunciation:* Dutch: * French:...
district of Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
outside the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium
Constant Vanden Stock Stadium
Constant Vanden Stock Stadium is a football stadium in the municipality of Anderlecht, Brussels. It is home to R.S.C. Anderlecht. It also hosted the UEFA Euro 1972 semifinal Hungary against Soviet Union, as well as several games of the Belgium national football team.It is in 1917 that RSC...
in the Place de Linde. However the 2005 edition saw a new finishing line at the Atomium
Atomium
The Atomium is a monument in Brussels, originally built for Expo '58, the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. Designed by André Waterkeyn, it stands 102 metres tall...
north of the centre of Brussels.
The quality of field has suffered since the Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
moved to September in 1995, many sprinter-roadmen preferring the Spanish Tour.
Results
Winners by nationality
| # of Victories | Country |
|---|---|
| 46 | |
| 14 | |
| 9 | |
| 6 | |
| 4 | |
| 3 | |
| 3 | |
| 1 | |
| 1 | |
| 1 | |
| 1 | |
| 1 |