1955 Tour of Flanders

Last updated
39th Tour of Flanders
Louison Bobet (1951).jpg
Louison Bobet, the first French winner of the Tour of Flanders
Race details
Dates27 March 1955
Stages1
Distance263 km (163.4 mi)
Winning time7h 27'
Results
  WinnerFlag of France.svg  Louison Bobet  (FRA) (Bobet–BP–Hutchinson)
  SecondFlag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Hugo Koblet  (SUI) (Faema–Guerra)
  ThirdFlag of Belgium (civil).svg  Rik Van Steenbergen  (BEL) (Elvé–Peugeot)
  1954
1956  

The 39th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on Sunday, 27 March 1955. French rider Louison Bobet won the race in a three-man sprint with Hugo Koblet and Rik Van Steenbergen. [1] 47 of 203 riders finished. [2]

Contents

Race Report

Rik Van Steenbergen was in an early breakaway with 12 riders and was first on the Kluisberg and Kruisberg. In Geraardsbergen, just after the peloton caught the group, Van Steenbergen, Louison Bobet, Bernard Gauthier and Hugo Koblet broke away on the steep Kloosterstraat. Gauthier did most of the work in the four-man group for his team leader Bobet. Van Steenbergen, favourite to win in the sprint, paid his earlier efforts and was beaten by Bobet and Koblet. Louison Bobet, a three-time winner of the Tour de France, secured the first ever victory for a French rider in the Tour of Flanders. [1]

Route

The race started in Ghent and finished in Wetteren – totaling 263 km. The course featured four categorized climbs: [1]

Results

Result
RankRiderTeamTime
1Flag of France.svg  Louison Bobet  (FRA) Bobet–BP–Hutchinson 7h 27' 00"
2Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Hugo Koblet  (SUI)Faema–Guerras.t.
3Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Rik Van Steenbergen  (BEL)Libertass.t.
4Flag of France.svg  Bernard Gauthier  (FRA) Mercier–Hutchinson + 5"
5Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Karel De Baere  (BEL) Mercier–Hutchinson + 22"
6Flag of France.svg  Jean Bellay  (FRA) Mercier–Hutchinson s.t.
7Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Roger Decock  (BEL)Van Hauwaert–Maes Pils+ 28"
8Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Marcel Rijckaert  (BEL)Tebag+ 33"
9Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Germain Derijcke  (BEL) Alcyon–Dunlop s.t.
10Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Lode Anthonis  (BEL)L'Avenirs.t.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tour of Flanders</span> Belgian one-day cycling race, one of the five monuments

The Tour of Flanders, also known as De Ronde, is an annual road cycling race held in Belgium every spring. The most important cycling race in Flanders, it is part of the UCI World Tour and organized by Flanders Classics. Its nickname is Vlaanderens Mooiste. First held in 1913, the Tour of Flanders had its 100th edition in 2016.

The 57th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling race in Belgium was held on Sunday 1 April 1973. Belgian Eric Leman won the classic ahead of Freddy Maertens and Eddy Merckx. The race started in Ghent and finished for the first time in Meerbeke (Ninove). 37 out of 174 riders arrived.

The 56th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling race in Belgium was held on Sunday 9 April 1972. Belgian Eric Leman won ahead of André Dierickx and Frans Verbeeck, winning the classic for the second time. The race started in Ghent and finished in Gentbrugge. 80 out of 171 riders arrived.

The 54th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling race in Belgium was held on Sunday 5 April 1970. Belgian Eric Leman won ahead of Walter Godefroot and Eddy Merckx, winning his first of three in the classic The race started in Ghent and finished in Gentbrugge. 37 out of 173 riders arrived.

The 53rd running of the Tour of Flanders cycling race in Belgium was held on Sunday 30 March 1969. Belgian cycling legend Eddy Merckx won ahead of Italians Felice Gimondi and Marino Basso, winning his first of two in the Flemish classic. The race started in Ghent and finished in Gentbrugge.

The 77th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling race in Belgium was held on Sunday 4 April 1993. It was the second leg of the 1993 UCI Road World Cup. Belgian Johan Museeuw won his first Tour of Flanders in a two-man sprint against Frans Maassen. The race started in Sint-Niklaas and finished in Meerbeke (Ninove).

The 70th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling race was held on 6 April 1986. It was won by Dutch rider Adrie van der Poel in a four-man sprint before Ireland's Sean Kelly.

The 72nd running of the Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on 3 April 1988. It was won by Eddy Planckaert in a two-man sprint with Australian Phil Anderson. 88 of 197 starters finished the race.

The 35th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on Sunday, 1 April 1951. Italian Fiorenzo Magni won the race with a five-and-a-half minute lead over Frenchman Bernard Gauthier. It was Magni's third consecutive victory in the Tour of Flanders; the first and to date only rider to achieve this feat. 30 of 196 riders finished.

The 44th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on Sunday, 3 April 1960. Arthur De Cabooter won the race in the sprint of a group of 16 ahead of Jean Graczyk and Rik Van Looy. 72 of 164 riders finished.

The 36th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on Sunday, 6 April 1952. Belgian Roger Decock won the race in a three-man sprint before Loretto Petrucci and Briek Schotte. 43 of 210 riders finished.

The 37th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on Sunday, 5 April 1953. Dutch rider Wim van Est won the race in a two-man sprint with Désiré Keteleer in Wetteren. 44 of 213 riders finished.

The 38th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on Sunday, 4 April 1954. Belgian Raymond Impanis won the race in a two-man sprint with French rider François Mahé. 38 of 230 riders finished.

The 40th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on Easter Monday, 2 April 1956. French rider Jean Forestier won the race after a late breakaway from a 30-strong group in Wetteren. Sprint specialist Stan Ockers won the sprint for second place; Leon Van Daele was third. 37 of 122 riders finished.

The 43rd running of the Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on Sunday, 30 March 1959. Belgian Rik Van Looy won the race in a three-man sprint with Frans Schoubben and Gilbert Desmet. 58 of 143 riders finished.

The 41st running of the Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on Sunday, 31 March 1957. Belgian rider Fred De Bruyne won the race in the sprint of a ten-man group in Wetteren. 85 of the 174 riders finished.

The 42nd running of the Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on Sunday, 30 March 1958. Belgian rider Germain Derijcke won the race in the sprint of a nine-man group in Wetteren. 61 of 153 riders finished.

The 51st Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on Sunday, 2 April 1967. The race was won by Italian rider Dino Zandegù in a two-man sprint with Noël Foré. Eddy Merckx won the sprint for third place. 92 of 139 riders finished.

The 52nd Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on Saturday, 30 March 1968. The race was won by Belgian sprinter Walter Godefroot ahead of Guido Reybrouck, who was being led out by Eddy Merckx. After the race, Reybrouck tested positive for doping and Rudi Altig was promoted to second place. 82 of 175 riders finished.

The 66th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on Sunday, 4 April 1982. Belgian rider René Martens claimed a surprise victory after breaking away solo on the Muur van Geraardsbergen. Eddy Planckaert won the sprint for second at 20 seconds, ahead of Rudy Pevenage. It was by and large Martens' biggest career victory. 51 of 212 riders finished.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Vanwalleghem, Rik (1991), De Ronde van Vlaanderen, Pinguin, Belgium, ISBN   90-73322-02-2, p 112
  2. McGann, Bill; McGann, Carol. "1955 Ronde van Vlaanderen results". BikeRaceInfo. Cherokee Village, AR: McGann Publishing. Retrieved 29 February 2016.