Roger Decock

Roger Decock (20 April 1927 – 30 May 2020) was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer.

Decock won Paris–Nice in 1951. During the 1951 Tour de France he was having the best Tour of his career and was 5th place overall when he became the only witness to one of the most infamous moments in cycling history. Wim Van Est was defending the Yellow Jersey; he was descending the Col d'Aubisque when he lost control of his bike and went off a cliff. Decock was the only person to witness this and he stopped to get help for the fallen rider. It took several minutes to locate Van Est and over two hours to rescue him from 200 feet down the mountain. In total, Decock waited 25 minutes until it was clear the situation was in hand, but the time he waited cost him his high place and he ultimately finished the Tour in 17th.

The following year he had the biggest victory of his career when he won the 1952 Tour of Flanders. As the finish line approached, Decock, Loretto Petrucci and Briek Schotte, one of the best riders of his generation, were the three lead riders fighting for the win and he defeated them in the sprint. Wim Van Est finished 4th.

Major results
Sources


 * 1948
 * 1st Ronde van Vlaanderen Beloften
 * 2nd Kattekoers


 * 1949
 * 2nd Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen


 * 1950
 * 1st Vijfbergenomloop
 * 2nd Grand Prix Jules Lowie
 * 4th Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne
 * 9th Gent-Wevelgem
 * 9th Paris-Brussels


 * 1951
 * 1st Overall Paris-Nice
 * 1st Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen
 * 1st Ronde van West-Vlaanderen
 * 4th Gent-Wevelgem
 * 9th Grand Prix des Nations


 * 1952
 * 1st Tour of Flanders
 * 2nd Brussel-Ingooigem
 * 2nd GP de Suisse
 * 4th Overall Dwars door België
 * 5th Vijfbergenomloop
 * 6th Liège-Bastogne-Liège
 * 7th La Flèche Wallonne


 * 1953
 * 1st Stage 11 Tour du Maroc
 * 5th Roubaix–Huy
 * 6th Paris-Roubaix
 * 6th GP de Suisse
 * 9th Gent-Wevelgem
 * 9th Overall Paris-Nice


 * 1954
 * Tour of Belgium
 * 1st Stages 3, 4a (ITT) & 5
 * 1st Scheldeprijs
 * 2nd Road race, National Road Championships
 * 2nd Brussel-Ingooigem
 * 2nd Roubaix–Huy
 * 2nd Grand Prix Jules Lowie
 * 2nd Circuit des XI Villes
 * 7th Liège-Bastogne-Liège
 * 7th Paris-Tours
 * 8th La Flèche Wallonne
 * 8th Paris-Brussels
 * 9th Tour of Flanders
 * 10th Paris-Roubaix


 * 1955
 * 1st Brussel-Ingooigem
 * 4th Paris-Brussels
 * 6th Ronde van Brabant
 * 7th Tour of Flanders


 * 1956
 * 4th Omloop Het Volk
 * 6th Giro di Lombardia
 * 6th Tre Valli Varesine
 * 8th Nationale Sluitingsprijs


 * 1957
 * 1st Nationale Sluitingsprijs
 * 1st Stage 1 Ronde van Nederland
 * 9th Paris-Brussels


 * 1958
 * 10th Milan-San Remo


 * 1959
 * 1st Omloop van Oost-Vlaanderen
 * 7th GP Flandria


 * 1960
 * 5th Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen