73rd Paris-Roubaix 1975 (France)

De Vlaeminck’s 3rd P-R Victory

The 1975 edition of Paris-Roubaix left the start in Chantilly under heavy cloud cover. The heavy rains of the previous two days caused flooding in the first cobbled section at Neuvilly. The muddy and slippery cobbled sector made passage of the race convoy a disaster. Motorcycles slid out and crashed. Race officials’ cars maneuvered carefully but becoming stuck in the mud. The peloton barely squeezed through the carnage.

An elite group of riders broke away and opened a five minute gap with 90 kms to the finish.

The breakaway dwindled under the fast pace until only four riders remained. Marc Demeyer's relentless pace had the lead group down to four: Merckx, Roger de Vlaeminck, André Dierickx and Demeyer. Eight kilometers to the finish Merckx had an untimely puncture, but a quick wheel change allowed the World Champion to rejoin the leaders on the hill at Hem. 

Merckx rejoining with the leaders on the Hill at Hem

Aggressively he went straight past the group. Only an attentive Roger De Vlaeminck could answer the attack. The four Belgians were together again at the entrance to the velodrome with Merckx leading out the sprint from the back stretch. De Vlaeminck struggled to hold the wheel around the final bend but dramatically De Vlaeminck pulled even with Merckx and surged past in the final meter.

Roger De Vlaeminck (far left) nips World Champion Eddy Merckx at the line

To the roar of the huge crowd Roger De Vlaeminck gained his record tying third Paris-Roubaix victory.

P-R 1974

P-R 1976

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