Paris – Roubaix 1968

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Race result
winner BelgiumBelgium Eddy Merckx 7h 09 '26 "
2. BelgiumBelgium Herman Van Springel equal time
3. BelgiumBelgium Walter Godefroot + 1:37 min.
4th BelgiumBelgium Edward Sels + 3:11 min.
5. BelgiumBelgium Victor Van Schil equal time
6th FranceFrance Raymond Poulidor + 5:05 min
7th NetherlandsNetherlands Henk Nijdam + 7:29 min.
8th. NetherlandsNetherlands Jan Janssen + 7:46 min.
9. BelgiumBelgium Guido Reybrouck + 8:03 min.
10. BelgiumBelgium Frans Melckenbeeck equal time
Eddy Merckx (1973)
Ridden for the first time: the Arenberg forest

The one-day race Paris – Roubaix 1968 was the 66th edition of the cycling classic and took place on Sunday, April 7th, 1968.

The race led from Chantilly , around 50 kilometers north of Paris , to Roubaix , where it ended in the Vélodrome André-Pétrieux . Since more and more sections, which had originally been cobblestone , had been paved, a new route with remaining pavé sectors had to be found in order to maintain the character of the race. The forest of Arenberg was crossed for the first time. The French cyclist Jean Stablinski proposed this section of the route. He had grown up nearby and knew this route because he had traveled it every day as a teenager on his way to work in a mining mine.

The entire route was 262 kilometers long. 136 drivers started, 44 of whom were able to place. The winner Eddy Merckx completed the race with an average speed of 36.61 km / h .

Shortly after the forest of Arenberg, Eddy Merckx began with attacks that continued to shrink the leading group. Finally, Merckx, Edward Sels, and Herman Van Springel were left at the helm. Sels had a flat tire and Van Springel in the velodrome no chance against the powerful sprint from Merckx, the first time Paris-Roubaix won.

References and comments

  1. ↑ Iconic Places: The Forest of Arenberg. In: Cycling Weekly. April 5, 2011, accessed June 13, 2015 . In 2008 Jean-Marie Leblanc unveiled a memorial stone for Stablinski at the southern entrance to the Arenberg forest.
  2. ^ Paris - Roubaix 1968. In: radsportseiten.net. Retrieved June 12, 2015 .
  3. ^ A b 1968 Paris - Roubaix bicycle race complete results. In: BikeRaceInfo. Retrieved June 12, 2015 .