| Race details | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | 5 April 1970 | ||||||||||||
| Stages | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Distance | 265 km (164.7 mi) | ||||||||||||
| Winning time | 6h 24' | ||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
The 54th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling race in Belgium was held on Sunday 5 April 1970. Belgian Eric Leman won ahead of Walter Godefroot and Eddy Merckx, winning his first of three in the classic [1] [2] The race started in Ghent and finished in Gentbrugge. 37 out of 173 riders arrived.
On the ascent of the Muur van Geraardsbergen Frenchman Roger Pingeon broke clear from the peloton. Eddy Merckx was the favourite to win the race and counter-attacked with Walter Godefroot and Eric Leman. They caught Pingeon on the Bosberg, the climb that made its first appearance in the Tour of Flanders. Pingeon was distanced in the finale and Merckx suffered a puncture in the ultimate kilometer. Leman beat Godefroot in a highly contested two-man sprint and won the race, Merckx finished third. [3]
There were eight categorized climbs:
| Cyclist | Team | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Eric Leman (BEL) | Flandria–Mars | 6h 24' |
| 2 | Walter Godefroot (BEL) | Salvarani-Chiorda | s.t. |
| 3 | Eddy Merckx (BEL) | Faemino–Faema | + 10" |
| 4 | Frans Verbeeck (BEL) | Geens–Watney | s.t. |
| 5 | Roger Rosiers (BEL) | Bic | s.t. |
| 6 | Jean-Pierre Monseré (BEL) | Flandria–Mars | + 25" |
| 7 | Patrick Sercu (BEL) | Dreher | s.t. |
| 8 |  Jan Janssen (NED) | Bic | s.t. |
| 9 | Daniel Van Ryckeghem (BEL) | Mann–Grundig | s.t. |
| 10 | Evert Dolman (NED) | Willem II–Gazelle | s.t. |
The 69th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling race took place on 7 April 1985. It was won by Belgian Eric Vanderaerden in an average speed of 39,605 km/h. The race was affected by abysmal weather, when a storm accompanied by wind and torrential rainfall, broke in the afternoon. Only 24 of 173 participants arrived.
The 61st running of the Tour of Flanders cycling race in Belgium was held on 3 April 1977. Belgian Roger De Vlaeminck won in a two-man sprint before Freddy Maertens, although the latter was later disqualified for an illegal bike change. The race started in Sint-Niklaas and finished in Meerbeke.
The 60th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling race in Belgium was held on Sunday 4 April 1976. Belgian Walter Planckaert won before Francesco Moser and Marc Demeyer. It was the last time the race started in its original starting place, Ghent. The finish was in Meerbeke (Ninove).
The 59th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling race in Belgium was held on Sunday 6 April 1975. Belgian Eddy Merckx won the classic a second time. The race started in Ghent and finished in Meerbeke (Ninove).
The 58th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling race in Belgium was held on Sunday 31 March 1974. Dutchman Cees Bal won the classic ahead of Frans Verbeeck and Eddy Merckx. The race started in Ghent and finished in Meerbeke (Ninove).
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.
The 56th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling race in Belgium was held on Sunday 9 April 1972. Belgian Eric Leman won ahead of André Dierickx and Frans Verbeeck, winning the classic for the second time. The race started in Ghent and finished in Gentbrugge. 80 out of 171 riders arrived.
The 55th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling race in Belgium was held on Sunday 4 April 1971, and won by Dutchman Evert Dolman. It started in Ghent and finished in Gentbrugge, over a 268-km course. It was considered one of the weakest editions of the Tour of Flanders ever, causing organizers to restyle the route in subsequent years.
The 53rd running of the Tour of Flanders cycling race in Belgium was held on Sunday 30 March 1969. Belgian cycling legend Eddy Merckx won ahead of Italians Felice Gimondi and Marino Basso, winning his first of two in the Flemish classic. The race started in Ghent and finished in Gentbrugge.
The 72nd running of the Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on 3 April 1988. It was won by Eddy Planckaert in a two-man sprint with Australian Phil Anderson. 88 of 197 starters finished the race.
The 40th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on Easter Monday, 2 April 1956. French rider Jean Forestier won the race after a late breakaway from a 30-strong group in Wetteren. Sprint specialist Stan Ockers won the sprint for second place; Leon Van Daele was third. 37 of 122 riders finished.
The second running of the Tour of Flanders cycling race in Belgium was held on Sunday, 22 March 1914. Belgian Marcel Buysse won the race in a sprint of a seven-strong group on the velodrome of Evergem, part of Ghent. 19 of 47 riders finished. The race started and finished in Ghent.
The 49th Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on Saturday, 17 April 1965. The race was won by Dutch rider Jo de Roo in a two-man sprint with Edward Sels. 51 of 119 riders finished.
The 50th Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on Saturday, 9 April 1966. The race was won by Belgian rider Edward Sels in a sprint before Italian Adriano Durante. 60 of 151 riders finished.
The 51st Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on Sunday, 2 April 1967. The race was won by Italian rider Dino Zandegù in a two-man sprint with Noël Foré. Eddy Merckx won the sprint for third place. 92 of 139 riders finished.
The 52nd Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on Saturday, 30 March 1968. The race was won by Belgian sprinter Walter Godefroot ahead of Guido Reybrouck, who was being led out by Eddy Merckx. After the race, Reybrouck tested positive for doping and Rudi Altig was promoted to second place. 82 of 175 riders finished.
The 62nd Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on Sunday, 9 April 1978. The race was won by Belgian Walter Godefroot in a three-man sprint with Michel Pollentier and Gregor Braun. It was Godefroot's second win in the Tour of Flanders, after the 1968 event. 47 of 174 riders finished.
The 64th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on Sunday, 30 March 1980. The race was won by Belgian Michel Pollentier, after an ultimate attack from his breakaway companions Francesco Moser and Jan Raas, at 700 m from the finish in Meerbeke. 46 of 179 riders finished.
The 66th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on Sunday, 4 April 1982. Belgian rider René Martens claimed a surprise victory after breaking away solo on the Muur van Geraardsbergen. Eddy Planckaert won the sprint for second at 20 seconds, ahead of Rudy Pevenage. It was by and large Martens' biggest career victory. 51 of 212 riders finished.
The seventh running of the Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on Sunday, 18 March 1923. Swiss rider Heiri Suter won the race in a three-man sprint with Belgians Charles Deruyter and Albert Dejonghe. Suter became the first non-Belgian winner of the Tour of Flanders. 43 of 86 riders finished.
 | This Tour of Flanders race article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
