Three years later, the 1951 event saw an amazing record time of 38 hours 55 minutes. This record is unlikely to fall. For one thing, this would be the last time PBP was raced by professionals. For another thing, "rustification" of the route, beginning around this time, brought rougher roads and many more hills to the course. Maurice Diot set this record. He won a sprint over breakaway companion Eduoard Muller after waiting for Muller to fix a puncture in Trappes, just 22 km from the finishThough listed on the professional calendar in 1956 and 1961, too few teams signed up to make the event happen. Nonetheless, the usual contingent of at least 100 randonneurs turned out for the usual ramble through Bretagne. And the randonneur division even featured the usual exciting racing, with Rene Herse-sponsored Roger Baumann winning over Espinasse and L'Heuillier in 52 hours 19 minutes.
