Paris-Roubaix podium history | 1958 edition | 1956 edition
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The race:
The 1957 Paris-Roubaix was 263 km long and raced at an average speed of 34.73 km/hr.
We don't know how many starters there were, but there were 101 classified finishers.
There were two small groups of riders who were awarded the same place, those that came in 18th and 58th.
Here is an edited and shortened machine translation of the race report from the April 9, 1957 issue of Le Monde:
"Winner of the Tour of Flanders eight days ago in the sprint, the Belgian champion Alfred De Bruyne proved how extensive the register of his qualities was by winning alone in the 55th Paris-Roubaix, thus achieving a double that only two of his compatriots, Gaston Rebry in 1934 and Raymond Impanis in 1954 had done before.
"This Paris-Roubaix, upset from start to finish by a violent and cold headwind, ended in a 50-kilometer race between Hénin-Liétard and Roubau. But, for having been late, the fight was none the less beautiful. Alfred De Bruyne finally emerged, after his team-mate Coletto (Italy) paved the way for him by leading a breakaway of some 30 kilometers in the company of Frenchman Barone, who once again took his place among the stars of the race.
"Behind the two leaders the peloton ceaselessly split into several groups, then regrouped.
"At Mons-en-Pévèle (219 kilometers), while Barone and Coletto were only 300 meters ahead, Louison Bobet had to dismount after a puncture. Shortly after, another fall eliminated Robinson. Brankart was also stopped by a puncture. Darrigade, embarrassed at the moment of the fall, was also left behind, but after a good effort joined the peleton, which only included about thirty men. Barone and Coletto during this time could not, despite their efforts, widen their gap any further.
"12 kilometers from the finish, De Bruyne set off. Hassenforder and Gauthier tried to follow him for a while, but had to give up. The Belgian champion caught Coletto and Barone in less than one kilometer, then passed them.
"From then on the race was over. De Bruyne, meter by meter, increased his lead, despite a puncture 1,200 meters from the velodrome, and finished in Roubaix one minute eleven seconds [Ed: some accounts say the gap was 1min 31sec] before the first group of chasers, whose sprint was won by Van Steenbergen ahead of Van Daele and Darrigade."
Alfred de Bruyne on his way to winning the 1957 Paris-Roubaix. This picture is from the cover of the April 8, 1957 issue of Miroir-Sprint.
Complete results: