Roger Decock

Roger Decock
Personal information
Full name	Roger Decock
Born	20 April 1927; Izegem, Belgium
Died	30 May 2020 (aged 93); Aarsele, Belgium
Team information
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Professional teams
1946	Metropole–Dunlop
1949	Arliguie–Hutchinson
1949	Bury
1950	Alcyon–Dunlop
1951–1954	Bertin–Wolber
1954	Sercu–Thompson
1955	Van Hauwaert–Maes–Pils
1956–1958	Faema–Guerra
1959	Flandria–Dr.Mann
1960	Dr. Mann–Dossche Sport
1961	Wiel's–Flandria
Major wins
	Paris–Nice (1951); Tour of Flanders (1952)

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.^[1]

The following year he had the biggest victory of his career when he won the 1952 Tour of Flanders.^[2] 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.