As has happened frequently before, an important development to the 1983 Paris–Roubaix took place at the cobbles of the Trouée d'Arenberg, with former three times winner Francesco Moser setting a brutal pace.

This turned out to be a brilliant move as the other riders of the breakaway, Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle, Marc Madiot and Ronan De Meyer looked to Moser to chase Kuiper down.

His team managed to deliver a new bike in time, and Hennie Kuiper entered the velodrome in Roubaix on his own.

The 1983 version of the Paris–Roubaix is generally regarded as a classic primarily due to Hennie Kuiper overcoming two crashes and a puncture, yet still strong enough to prevail in the face of some very elite competition.

Of his fellow escapees, Francesco Moser was a former 3 times winner of the race, while both Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle and Marc Madiot would go on to win the event twice each.