| Race details | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | 1 April 1973 | ||||||||||||
| Stages | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Distance | 263 km (163.4 mi) | ||||||||||||
| Winning time | 6h 17' | ||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||
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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.
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]
There were six categorized climbs:
| 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. |
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