It was sunny during the race. With 90 kilometers to go, Dietrich Thurau pushed the pace. René Bittinger , Francesco Moser, Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle and Roger De Vlaeminck stayed on his heels, Bittinger soon had a flat tire, including De Vlaeminck, who also fell. Duclos-Lassalle also fell in a pavé sector , but began a dogged hunt for Thurau and Moser. Thurau couldn't keep up with Moser's pace and was finally overtaken by Duclos-Lassalle. Moser reached the cycle race track in Roubaix with a lead of almost two minutes on the runner-up. He won the race for the third time, drawing level with Octave Lapize , Gaston Rebry and Rik Van Looy .