Paris-Roubaix podium history | 1953 edition | 1951 edition
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The race:
The 1952 Paris-Roubaix was 245 km long and raced at an average speed of 41.94 km/hr.
There was an unknown number of starters and 95 classified finishers. There ae no time splits after 27th place. Ten riders were awarded twelfth place.
Rik van Steenbergen performed a legendary bridge up to Fausto Coppi, Jacques Dupont and Ferdy Kübler. Soon it was just van Steenbergen and Coppi.
Coppi attacked over and over again, knowing van Steenbergen would prevail in a sprint. They arrived at the Roubaix velodrome together, where the Belgian prevailed.
Van Steenbergen said he was at the end of is tether and if Coppi had attacked once more, Van Steenbergen would have been dropped.
Coppi regretted not going solo earlier to stay out of the reach of the powerful van Steenbergen, who had now won his second Paris-Roubaix in four years.
Winner Rik van Steenbergen (center) in a undated photo
Complete Known Results: