1983 Paris-Roubaix

The 1983 Paris-Roubaix road cycling race in Spring 1983 in Northern France.

As has happened frequently before, an important development to the 1983 Paris-Roubaix took place at the cobbles of the Trouée d'Arenberg, with former three times winner Francesco Moser setting a brutal pace. Moser continued his torrid pace through the next tough cobbled sections, reducing the field to just 5 riders.

Despite crashing twice, Hennie Kuiper maintained a position in the lead group, and knowing that Moser possessed the superior finish, Kuiper attacked from distance. This turned out to be a brilliant move as the other riders of the breakaway, Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle, Marc Madiot and Ronan De Meyer looked to Moser to chase Kuiper down. This tactical disarray allowed Kuiper to open a 1'30 lead with only 16km to go.

Within the last six kilometres Kuiper suffered another setback, this time a puncture. His team managed to deliver a new bike in time, and Hennie Kuiper entered the velodrome in Roubaix on his own.

In the sprint for second Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle narrowly beat Francesco Moser.

The 1983 version of the Paris-Roubaix is generally regarded as a classic primarily due to Hennie Kuiper overcoming two crashes and a puncture, yet still strong enough to prevail in the face of some very elite competition. Of his fellow escapees, Francesco Moser was a former 3 times winner of the race, while both Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle and Marc Madiot would go on to win the event twice each.

Below, the results for the 1983 edition of the Paris-Roubaix cycling classic.

Results

1983: Paris-Roubaix, 274 km.: