| Race details | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | 1 April 1973 | ||||||||||||
| Stages | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Distance | 263 km (163.4 mi) | ||||||||||||
| Winning time | 6h 17' | ||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
The 57th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling race in Belgium was held on Sunday 1 April 1973. Belgian Eric Leman won the classic ahead of Freddy Maertens and Eddy Merckx. [1] [2] The race started in Ghent and finished for the first time in Meerbeke ( Ninove). 37 out of 174 riders arrived.
Course
Cycling icon Eddy Merckx was the pre-race favourite, but despite several attempts, he failed to distance Leman, Maertens and De Geest on the Muur van Geraardsbergen and the run-in to the finish. In a four-man sprint Eric Leman narrowly beat Freddy Maertens. Merckx was third. [3] Leman became the third rider to win the Tour of Flanders three times, equalling the previous record of Achiel Buysse and Fiorenzo Magni. [4]
Climbs
There were six categorized climbs:
Results
| Cyclist | Team | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
Eric Leman (
BEL)
|
Peugeot–BP | 6h 17' 00" |
| 2 |
Freddy Maertens (
BEL)
|
Flandria-Shimano | s.t. |
| 3 |
Eddy Merckx (
BEL)
|
Molteni | s.t. |
| 4 |
Willy De Geest (
BEL)
|
Rokado | s.t. |
| 5 | 
Joop Zoetemelk (
NED)
|
Gitane | + 45" |
| 6 |
Walter Godefroot (
BEL)
|
Flandria-Shimano | + 51" |
| 7 |
Frans Verbeeck (
BEL)
|
Watneys–Maes | s.t. |
| 8 |
Herman Van Springel (
BEL)
|
Rokado | s.t. |
| 9 |
Patrick Sercu (
BEL)
|
Brooklyn | + 1'20" |
| 10 |
Willy In't Ven (
BEL)
|
Molteni | s.t. |
References
- ^ Vanwalleghem, Rik (1991), De Ronde van Vlaanderen, Pinguin, Belgium, ISBN 90-73322-02-2, p168
- ^ McGann, Bill; McGann, Carol. "1973 Ronde van Vlaanderen results". BikeRaceInfo. Cherokee Village, Arkansas: McGann Publishing. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ^ Vanwalleghem, Rik (1991), De Ronde van Vlaanderen, Pinguin, Belgium, ISBN 90-73322-02-2, p172
- ^ Vanwalleghem, Rik (1991), De Ronde van Vlaanderen, Pinguin, Belgium, ISBN 90-73322-02-2, p169-173
Further reading
- Saunders, David (May 1973). "Tour of Flanders 1973: April Fool – Eddy". International Cycle Sport. No. 60. Keighley, UK: Kennedy Brothers Publishing. p. 19. ISSN 0020-6504. Retrieved 10 April 2020 – via InternationalCycleSport.com.
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