Paris-Roubaix podium history | 1946 edition | 1944 edition

Bill & Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, Vol 1: 1903 - 1975 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 1945 Paris-Roubaix was 246 km long and raced at an average speed of 31.20 km/hr.

There were 100 starters and 28 finishers.

This was the first edition of Paris-Roubaix since the Germans had been driven from France.

Of the seven men in the lead who raced together into the Roubaix velodrome, 1944 winner De Simpelaere was the favorite. In fact, De Simpelaere had been marking and neutralizing attacks for most of the race.

To the surprise of most, Paul Maye, a Basque from Bayonne, was the winner.

 

Despite his winning two Tour de France stages, Paris-Tours three times as well as Paris-Roubaix, there are very few pictures of Paul Maye available. Here he is on a cover of the July 7, 1938 Le Miroir des Sports.

Complete Results:

1. Paul Maye (Alcyon-Dunlop) 7hr 52min 54sec.
2. Lucien Teisseire s.t.
3. Kléber Piot (Dilecta-Wolber) s.t.
4. Louis Thiétard (Métropole-Dunlop) s.t.
5. Maurice Desimpelaere (Alcyon-Dunlop) s.t.
6. Edouard Muller (Alcyon-Dunlop) s.t.
7. Robert Renonce s.t.
8. Maurice De Muer (Peugeot) @ 3min 1sec
9. Maurice Quentin (Génial Lucifer-Hutchinson) s.t.
10. Lucien Maelfait (Génial Lucifer-Hutchinson) s.t.
11. Jacques Rousset (Dilecta-Wolber) s.t.
12. Alexandre Pawlisiak (Rochet-Dunlop) @ 6min 58sec
13. Eugène Galliussi s.t.
14. Manuel Huguet s.t.
15. Amédée Rolland (Ray-Dunlop) @ 12min 57sec
16. Joseph Tacca s.t.
17. Yvan Marie s.t.
18. Séverin Virgili s.t.
19. Philippe Martineau (Dilecta-Wolber) s.t.
20. Georges Guillier (Dilecta-Wolber) s.t.
21. Albert Sercu (Dilecta-Wolber) @ 16min 6sec
22. Valère Ollivier s.t.
23. Sylvain Hordelalay (Génial Lucifer-Hutchinson) s.t.
24. Louis Déprez (Bertin) s.t.
25. Jean Robic (Génial Lucifer-Hutchinson) s.t.
26. Léon Paolini (Ray-Dunlop) s.t.
27. Armand Gilles s.t.
28. Jean De Gribaldy (Peugeot) @ 47min 21sec