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By Barry Boyce,
CyclingRevealed Historian
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A New King of the Classic
A tame race took off when the climbing started in the 1979 Tour of Flanders. Over the tough climb of the Koppenberg an elite group formed and moved away from the peloton.
Dutchman Jan Raas continued the aggressive racing and attacked an already hard tempo. German Dieter Thurau tried to bridge the gap but fell short. Raas rode the final 30 kms alone to claim the victory.
SPECIAL NOTE: Dutchman Jan Raas had major wins in the classics of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s: Milan-San Remo 1977, Paris-Tours 1978, Paris-Bruxelles 1978, Tour of Flanders 1979, Ghent-Wevelgem 1981, Paris-Tours 1981, Paris-Roubaix 1982, and Tour of Flanders 1983.
| Flanders April 1, 1979 |
| 267 Km, St. Niklaas to Meerbeke/Ninove |
1.
Jan RAAS (Ned) 6h31'00" |
2. Marc Demeyer (Bel) + 1'04" |
3. Daniel Willems (Bel) + 1'15" |
| Starters: 180 |
| Finishers: 34 |
Average Speed: 40.971 km/h |
RVV 1978
RVV 1980
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Return to the Race Snippets ToC |
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63rd Ronde van Vlaanderen 1979 / Tour of Flanders (Belgium) 
