Charles Crupelandt

Charles Crupelandt

Charles Crupelandt born October 23, 1886, was a French professional bicycle road racer. He is best remember for his 1912 and 1914 victories of the race Paris-Roubaix. He was a resident of Roubaix and a local hero. In 1914 he also won the French national road championship. 

Crupdlandt served in World War I and returned a hero. Three years after the conclusion of the war he was convicted of a crime and the Union Velocipedique banned him from their sanctioned racing for life. He later raced with an unofficial cycling association, with which he won national championships in 1922 and 1923.

Charles Crupelandt died in 1955 in poverty at the age of 68, blind and with both legs amputated. A few years ago, the town of Roubaix built a short section of cobblestones, just a few hundred meters away from the entrance of the velodrome. It is called "Espace Crupelandt".

Espace Crupelandt