Italian legend Fausto Coppi, the ‘Champion of Champions’ became the first rider to win both the Tour de France and Paris-Roubaix post-war when he won the Hell of the North in 1950, having won the Tour for the first time the previous year.

Already a three-time Giro d’Italia champion, having won in 1940, 1947 and earlier in 1949, Coppi went on to win the Italian Grand Tour two more times, and picked up his second and final Tour de France win in 1952.

His palmares also includes the 1953 road world championship, five Giro di Lombardia victories and three wins at Milan-San Remo.

His 1949 Tour de France win saw him overturn a huge deficit with a stunning ride in the mountains, beating team-mate Gino Bartali by more than ten minutes with no other rider within 25 minutes of his time.

And he followed it with a solo victory at Paris-Roubaix the following year.

Attacking first through the feed zone, he then distanced an elite chasing group further with a stunning ride in the wind prompting a l’Equipe journalist to write: “Yesterday against the elite roadmen of his era, Fausto was sublime.”