The 103 riders awaited the starting signal. Marc Demeyer stood in the very last row of the group, chatting with Geert Malfait. Relaxed but seemingly listless. A few supporters crowded around him.

“I didn’t come here to win,” the Outrijve native replied when asked about his chances. “I’m still far from being in top form. It’ll be a while before you see me at the top of a race. With my current form, I’m in the right place.” “From behind,” he grinned.

A few hours later, he rode his first victory lap of the season. In the 13th Grand Prix Nokere Sport, inattention or physical weakness early in the race immediately meant elimination from the final. During the three Grand Tours, the caravan traversed a vast plain where a strong crosswind forced the riders into echelons. It wasn’t long before the first group saw a promising opportunity in this racing style.

When the seven smaller laps began, the group that had once formed the first echelon was a minute ahead. For several laps, Dirk Baert, Walter Planckaert, Andre Dierickx, and other favorites squeezed every ounce of energy to close the gap, but their efforts were rewarded. At the front, Dewitte, Karstens, Berckmans, and especially Willy Degeest set a blistering pace, and the lead group’s advantage steadily grew. Behind them, ever-shrinking groups formed, spread out across the entire circuit, fighting for their place. The discouraged riders who dropped out were, of course, even more numerous.

When the actual final began, there were still seventeen contenders for victory. Teirlinck was one of them. To ensure he’d still take home something, Willy sprinted up the hill to the finish, earning himself several generous prizes.

Before the race, bookmakers were already pricing Demeyer low (6). Even before the big breakaway at the start of the race, he had become their favorite, and was only a 3 behind his name. When his first attack was announced over the loudspeakers, he nearly disappeared from all the boards, although the number of his strongest opponent, the Dutchman Raas, didn’t drop.

Toch heeft Mark nogal wat last gekregen met die Raas. De hele eindstrijd werd trouwens een Belgisch-Nederlands duel. De eerste poging van Demeyer werd verijdeld door Raas en nadien sleurde Karstens de rest van de kopgroep weer bij het tweetal. De winnaar van de jongste Parijs-Brussel was amper weer bijgehaald of hij wipte opnieuw weg. Weer reageerde Raas gepast en zorgde, samen met Spruyt, voor de hergroepering. De derde actie van de zegedriftige Demeyer was niet de goede want… Raas verijdelde de poging. Al dat geweld was teveel voor enkele renners en tenslotte draaide een kopgroep van negen de laatste ronde in : Demeyer, Dewitte, Raas, Degeest, Spruyt, Hermans, Teirlinck, Van Stayen en Erik Leman. Zeven kilometer voor het einde spurtte Marc Demeyer weer weg. Ronny Dewitte dekte de vlucht van zijn ploegmaat, Raas probeerde nog even te reageren, naderde tot op vijftien seconden, maar moest het toen afleggen tegen een alles of niets spelende Demeyer die niet meer op- of omkeek, maar er met een verbeten gezicht een ware tijdrace van maakte. In de spurt bergop was Teirlinck weer sneller dan de rest en greep als laatste premie een tweede plaats weg.

Mark Dheedene

Result : 103 professional cyclists

1. Marc Demeyer the 150 km in 3 h 40 min.
2. Willy Teirlinck on 50 sec
3. Jan Raas (Nl)
4. Ronald De Witte
5. Willy De Geest
6. Staf Hermans
7. Eric Leman on 1’15”
8. Jos Spruyt
9. Ludo Van Stayen on 1’35”
10. Wilfried Wesemael
11. Arthur Vande Vijver
12. Gerben Karstens (Nl)
13. Jean-Pierre Berckmans
14. Serge Van Daele
15. Willy Vanneste
16. Eddy Van Hoof
17. Jean-Pierre Baert
18. Fons De Bal
19. Dirk Baert
20. Walter Planckaert
21. Frans Van Looy
22. Lucien De Brauwere
23. Richard Bukacki
24. Hubert Pronk (Nl)
25. Roy Schuiten (Nl)
26. Barry Hoban
27. Robert Mintkiewicz
28. Andre Dierickx
29. Eddy Goossens
30. Roger Verschaeve

Marc Demeyer (Avelgem, 19 April 1950 – Merelbeke, 20 January 1982) was a Belgian cyclist. He was known as a speedster.

In 1972, Demeyer became a professional cyclist for Briek Schotte’s Flandria team. On the day he signed his contract, he also won the “Dwars door België” (Travers through Belgium) and shortly thereafter the GP d’Isbergues. He was a key domestique for Freddy Maertens, leading sprints and closing numerous gaps. Occasionally, he also rode for his own advantage. For example, Demeyere won Paris-Brussels in 1974, followed by Paris-Roubaix in 1976. He also won stages in the Tour de France. In 1982, Demeyere was found dead in his bed of cardiac arrest at the age of 31.

Major victories

1972: Across Belgium and GP d’Isbergues

1974: GP Pino Cerami and Grote Scheldeprijs and Paris-Brussels

1975 : Nokere Koerse

1976 : Parijs-Roubaix

1977 : Grote Scheldeprijs

1978 : 20e etappe Tour de France

1979: 14th stage of the Tour de France and 2nd stage of the Tour of Belgium