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Paris-Roubaix podium history | 1969 edition | 1967 edition

Les Woodland's book The Olympics' 50 Craziest Stories: A Five Ring Circus is available as an audiobook here. For the print and Kindle eBook versions, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

The Race:

The 1968 Paris-Roubaix was 262 km long and raced at an average speed of 36.61 km/hr.

There were 136 starters and 44 classified finishers

The organizers found that the necessary cobbled sectors were being paved over. The 1968 course, with 56.6 kilometers of stone roads, was the successful result of a search for surviving stretches of pavé.

This was the first year to use the Wallers-Arenberg sector, for example. It was not long after Wallers-Arenberg that Eddy Merckx's attacks thinned the lead group.

Eventually it was down to Edward Sels, Herman van Springel and Merckx. Sels flatted and when van Springel and Merckx came onto the Roubaix velodrome it was no contest. Merckx had won his first Paris-Roubaix.

Eddy Merckx wins his first Prais-Roubaix just ahead of Herman van Springel.

Complete Results:

1. Eddy Merckx (Faema) 7hr 9min 26sec

2. Herman van Springel (Mann-Grundig) s.t.
3. Walter Godefroot (Flandria-De Clerck-Krüger) @ 1min 37sec
4. Edward Sels (Bic) @ 3min 11sec
5. Victor van Schil (Faema) s.t.
6. Raymond Poulidor (Mercier-BP-Hutchinson) @ 5min 5sec
7. Henk Nijdam (Peugeot-BP-Michelin) @ 7min 29sec
8. Jan Janssen (Pelforth-Sauvage-Lejeune) @ 7min 46sec
9. Guido Reybrouck (Faema) @ 8min 3sec
10. Frans Melckenbeeck (Pull Over Centrale-Motte-Novy) s.t.
11. Frans Brands (Smiths) s.t.
12. Cees Zoontjens (Caballero) s.t.
13. Jozef Huysmans (Mann-Grundig) s.t.
14. Wilfried Peffgen (Salvarani) s.t.
15. Michel Grain (Bic) s.t.
16. Barry Hoban (Mercier-BP-Hutchinson) s.t.
17. Roger Cooreman (Mann-Grundig) s.t.
18. Jean-Pierre Genêt (Mercier-BP-Hutchinson) s.t.
19. Jean Jourden (Frimatic-Wolber-De Gribaldy) s.t.
20. Felice Gimondi (Salvarani) s.t.
21. Hugo Hellemans (Mann-Grundig) s.t.
22. Walter Boucquet (Pull Over Centrale-Motte-Novy) s.t.
23. Raymond Riotte (Mercier-BP-Hutchinson) s.t.
24. Jean Stablinski (Mercier-BP-Hutchinson) s.t.
25. Willy Bocklant (Pull Over Centrale-Motte-Novy) @ 8min 55sec
26. Romain De Loof (Flandria-De Clerck-Krüger) @ 10min 47sec
27. Adriano Durante (Max Meyer) @ 16min 54sec
28. Paul Lemeteyer (Bic) @ 18min 58sec
29. Roger Swerts (Faema) s.t.
30. Georges Pintens (Mann-Grundig) s.t.
31. Julien Stevens (Smiths) @ 21min 15sec
32. André Planckaert (Goldor-Gerka) s.t.
33. Fernand Hermie (Goldor-Gerka) @ 21min 33sec
34. Roberto Poggiali (Salavarani) s.t.
35. Tommaso De Pra (Salvarani) s.t.
36. Eric Leman (Flandria-De Clerck - Krüger) @ 25min 15sec
37. René Corthout (Smiths) s.t.
38. Raymond Steegmans (Goldor-Gerka) @ 30min 12sec
39. Bernard Guyot (Pelforth-Sauvage-Lejeune) s.t.
40. José Samyn (Pelforth-Sauvage-Lejeune) s.t.
41. Herman Decan (Flandria-De Clerck - Krüger) s.t.
42. Pietro Guerra (Salvarani) @ 40min 57sec
43. Gilbert Verlinde (Goldor-Gerka) @ 41min 37sec
44. Philippe Crépel (Pelforth-Sauvage-Lejeune) s.t.