1983 Omloop Het Volk ( HC)
This race is now "Omloop Het Nieuwsblad"
38th edition: March 5, 1983
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad podium history | 1982 edition | 1984 edition
Gent - Gent, 220 km / 39.639 km/hr
211 starters / 74 classified finishers
Fons de Wolf wins 1983 Omloop Het Volk ahead of Jan Raas.
TI-Raleigh team boss Peter Post talks to his rider Jan Raas while Raas and de Wolf are on their breakaway.
Jan Raas starts to lead out the sprint.
The race: On March 5, 1983, it was a warm spring day in Belgium for the real opening of the Belgian racing season. The temperature was about 50 degrees (10 Celsius). The day was so nice the riders wore short-sleeve jerseys.
With about forty kilometers to go, 30-year old racing legend and former world champion Jan Raas escaped with Fons de Wolf on a cobblestone section of the course.
The expectation was that Raas would beat the younger de Wolf. But this was the first big race of the season and Raas had not been able to train properly during the winter because of a jaw infection. De Wolf, on the other hand, was in stunning form.
Come the sprint, de Wolf easily won the race.
Though Raas was then thirty years old, in 1983 he would go on to win the Tour of Flanders, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and the Dutch championships.
In 1983 De Wolf also won the Coppa Ugo Agostoni, Giro della Romagna and the Tour of Tuscany.
Despite de Wolf's youth (he was 27 that year) and Raas's great results, 1983 would be the last big year for both riders.
Complete Results:
| 1 | Fons de Wolf | Bianchi-Piaggio | 5hr 33min |
| 2 | Jan Raas | TI-Raleigh-Campagnolo | s.t. |
| 3 | Luc Colyn | Fangio-Tonissteiner-OM Trucks | @ 2min 21sec |
| 4 | Kim Andersen | Coop-Mercier-Mavic | s.t. |
| 5 | Etienne de Wilde | La Redoute-Motobecane | s.t. |
| 6 | Johan van der Velde | TI-Raleigh-Campagnolo | s.t. |
| 7 | Adrie van der Poel | Jacky Aernoudt-Rossin-Campagnolo | s.t. |
| 8 | Jozef Lieckens | Safir-Van de Ven-Moser | s.t. |
| 9 | Rudy Matthijs | Boule d'Or-Colnago | @ 3min 54sec |
| 10 | Ludo Peeters | TI-Raleigh-Campagnolo | s.t. |
| 11 | Pol Verschuere | Bianchi-Piaggio | @ 4min 5sec |
| 12 | Jan Van Houwelingen | Boule d'Or-Colnago | s.t. |
| 13 | Frank Hoste | Europdecor-Dries-Eddy Merckx | s.t. |
| 14 | Eric Vanderaerden | Jacky Aernoudt-Rossin-Campagnolo | s.t. |
| 15 | Léo van Vliet | TI-Raleigh-Campagnolo | s.t. |
| 16 | Paul Sherwen | La Redoute-Motobecane | s.t. |
| 17 | Ferdi van den Haute | La Redoute-Motobecane | s.t. |
| 18 | Marc Madiot | Renault-Elf | s.t. |
| 19 | Valerio Piva | Bianchi-Piaggio | s.t. |
| 20 | Eddy van Haerens | Safir-Van de Ven-Moser | s.t. |
| 21 | Adri van Houwelingen | TI-Raleigh-Campagnolo | s.t. |
| 22 | Phil Anderson | Peugeot-Shell-Michelin | s.t. |
| 23 | Eddy Planckaert | Splendor-Euroshop | s.t. |
| 24 | Jos Op Het Eyndt | Europdecor-Dries-Eddy Merckx | s.t. |
| 25 | Jean-Louis Gauthier | Coop-Mercier-Mavic | s.t. |
| 26 | Jean-Philippe Vandenbrande | Splendor-Euroshop | s.t. |
| 27 | Mario van Vlimmeren | Beckers Snacks | s.t. |
| 28 | Wies van Dongen | Fangio-Tonissteiner-OM Trucks | s.t. |
| 29 | Eric McKenzie | Splendor-Euroshop | s.t. |
| 30 | Alan Peiper | Peugeot-Shell-Michelin | s.t. |
| 31 | Roger de Cnijf | Boule d'Or-Colnago | s.t. |
| 32 | Ludo de Keulenaere | TI-Raleigh-Campagnolo | s.t. |
| 33 | Jan Wijnants | Boule d'Or-Colnago | s.t. |
| 34 | Ad Wijnands | TI-Raleigh-Campagnolo | s.t. |
| 35 | Steven Rooks | Sem-France Loire-Mavic | s.t. |
| 36 | Frederic Vichot | Coop-Mercier-Mavic | s.t. |
| 37 | Jacques Bossis | Peugeot-Shell-Michelin | s.t. |
| 38 | patrick Versluys | Splendor-Euroshop | s.t. |
| 39 | Marc Sergeant | Europdecor-Dries-Eddy Merckx | s.t. |
| 40 | Sean Kelly | Sem-France Loire-Mavic | s.t. |
| 41 | Guy Nulens | Jacky Aernoudt-Rossin-Campagnolo | s.t. |
| 42 | Ronny van Holen | Safir-Van de Ven-Moser | s.t. |
| 43 | Yves Godimus | Fangio-Tonissteiner-OM Trucks | s.t. |
| 44 | Gody Schmutz | Eurotex-Magniflex | s.t. |
| 45 | Gregor Braun | Vivi-Benotto-Selle Italia | s.t. |
| 46 | Jos Lammertink | Vivi-Benotto-Selle Italia | s.t. |
| 47 | Eric van de Wiele | Splendor-Euroshop | s.t. |
| 48 | Gerrie Knetemann | TI-Raleigh-Campagnolo | s.t. |
| 49 | Serge Beuchere | Sem-France Loire-Mavic | s.t. |
| 50 | Stephen Roche | Peugeot-Shell-Michelin | s.t. |
| 51 | Patrick Cocquyt | Safir-Van de Ven-Moser | s.t. |
| 52 | Raoul Bruyndonckx | Beckers Snacks | s.t. |
| 53 | Jean-Marie Wampers | Splendor-Euroshop | s.t. |
| 54 | Walter Planckaert | Splendor-Euroshop | s.t. |
| 55 | Noel Segers | Boule d'Or-Colnago | s.t. |
| 56 | Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle | Peugeot-Shell-Michelin | s.t. |
| 57 | Joop Zoetemelk | Coop-Mercier-Mavic | s.t. |
| 58 | Gery Verlinden | Splendor-Euroshop | s.t. |
| 59 | Paul Haghedooren | Splendor-Euroshop | s.t. |
| 60 | Jan Bogaert | Europdecor-Dries-Eddy Merckx | s.t. |
| 61 | Rudy Dhaenens | Splendor-Euroshop | s.t. |
| 62 | Eddy Schepers | Perlav-Eurosoap | s.t. |
| 63 | Johan Lammerts | TI-Raleigh-Campagnolo | s.t. |
| 64 | Rudy Rogiers | Jacky Aernoudt-Rossin-Campagnolo | 6min 10sec |
| 65 | Luc Govaerts | Europdecor-Dries-Eddy Merckx | s.t. |
| 66 | Michel Pollentier | Safir-Van de Ven-Moser | s.t. |
| 67 | Yvon Bertin | Coop-Mercier-Mavic | s.t. |
| 68 | Francis Castaing | Peugeot-Shell-Michelin | s.t. |
| 69 | Jos Schipper | Elro Snacks-Auto Brabant | s.t. |
| 70 | Hans Langerijs | Beckers Snacks | s.t. |
| 71 | Philippe Poissonnier | Safir-Van de Ven-Moser | s.t. |
| 72 | Ad van den Hoek | Beckers Snacks | s.t. |
| 73 | Luc de Decker | Safir-Van de Ven-Moser | s.t. |
| 74 | Walter Dalgal | Safir-Van de Ven-Moser | s.t. |