The first winner was Belgian Briek Schotte, who won the Tour of Flanders and also world road race championship of the 1948 season. The 1949 edition was won by the Italian Fausto Coppi while 1950 went to the Swiss Ferdi Kubler and 1951 to Frenchman Louison Bobet. Kubler also won in 1952 and 1954 to equal the record of Belgian Fred De Bruyne, who won from 1956 to 1958.