1956 Challenge Desgrange-Colombo
# 1956 Challenge Desgrange-Colombo

The 1956 Challenge Desgrange-Colombo was the ninth edition of the Challenge Desgrange-Colombo. It included eleven races: all the races form the 1955 edition were retained with no additions. Fred De Bruyne won the first of his three individual championships while Belgium retained the nations championship.

## Races

| Date | Race | Country | Winner | Team | Report |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 19 March | Milan–San Remo | Italy | Fred De Bruyne (BEL) | Mercier–BP–Hutchinson | Report |
| 2 April | Tour of Flanders | Belgium | Jean Forestier (FRA) | Follis–Dunlop | Report |
| 8 April | Paris–Roubaix | France | Louison Bobet (FRA) | Mercier–BP–Hutchinson | Report |
| 22 April | Paris–Brussels | France/ Belgium | Rik Van Looy (BEL) | Faema-Guerra-Van Hauwaert | Report |
| 5 May | La Flèche Wallonne | Belgium | Richard Van Genechten (BEL) | Elvé-Peugeot | Report |
| 6 May | Liège–Bastogne–Liège | Belgium | Fred De Bruyne (BEL) | Mercier–BP–Hutchinson | Report |
| 19 May – 10 June | Giro d'Italia | Italy | Charly Gaul (LUX) | Faema-Guerra-Van Hauwaert | Report |
| 16 June – 23 June | Tour de Suisse | Switzerland | Rolf Graf (SUI) | | Report |
| 5 July – 28 July | Tour de France | France | Roger Walkowiak (FRA) | North-East/Centre | Report |
| 7 October | Paris–Tours | France | Albert Bouvet (FRA) | Mercier–BP–Hutchinson | Report |
| 21 October | Giro di Lombardia | Italy | André Darrigade (FRA) | Bianchi–Pirelli | Report |

## Final standings

### Riders

| | Cyclist | Team | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Fred De Bruyne (BEL) | Mercier–BP–Hutchinson | 84 |
| 2 | Fiorenzo Magni (ITA) | | 66 |
| 3 | Stan Ockers (BEL) | | 62 |
| 4 | Jean Forestier (FRA) | | 61 |
| 5 | Andre Vlayen (BEL) | | 47 |
| 6 | Charly Gaul (LUX) | | 46 |
| 7 | Louison Bobet (FRA) | | 44 |
| 8= | Germain Derycke (BEL) | | 41 |
| 8= | Jef Planckaert (BEL) | | 41 |
| 8= | Rik Van Steenbergen (BEL) | | 41 |

### Nations

| | Nation | Points |
| - | - | - |
| 1 | Belgium | 569 |
| 2 | France | 326 |
| 3 | Italy | 323 |
