| Race details | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | 1 April 1973 | ||||||||||||
| Stages | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Distance | 263 km (163.4 mi) | ||||||||||||
| Winning time | 6h 17' | ||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| ← 1972 1974 → | |||||||||||||
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. 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. Leman became the third rider to win the Tour of Flanders three times, equalling the previous record of Achiel Buysse and Fiorenzo Magni.
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.
| Tour of Flanders / Tour of Flanders for Women | |
|---|---|
| Men's editions |
|
| Women's editions | |
| 1973 Super Prestige Pernod | |
|---|---|
|
 | This Tour of Flanders race article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |