After several tentative attacks during a rapid start, 21 riders broke clear after Noyon (km 25) -- Peeters, Willems (Mapei), Saligari (MG), Brognara, Fina, Santaromita (Gewiss), Hunt (Banesto), Ozers (Motorola), Vierhouten (Rabobank), Puttini (Refin), De Vries (Polti), De Jongh, Knaven, Nijdam, Van Steen (TVM), Manzoni (Roslotto), Wauters (Lotto), O'Grady (GAN), Pavanello (Aki), Contrini (Brescialat) and Saugrain (Aubervilliers). The break reached a maximum lead of 55 seconds, with Telekom organising the chase behind. 46.5km were covered in the first hour.
Telekom's work seriously stretched out the peloton and also led to 40 riders bridging to the break at km56.5. Most of the race favourites were in this group which hit the first stretch of cobbles at Troisvilles (km98.5) with 50 seconds on the rest of the peloton.
At the third sector of cobbles (Zone 20--about km110) Peeters (Mapei), Zabel (Telekom) and Desbiens (GAN) launched an attack and Museeuw (Mapei) bridged up to them. The four worked well together, but Peeters put in extra work on behalf of Museeuw. Behind, the peloton came together at km126, and was 1.30 behind.
At Valenciennes (139km) Serpellini (Panaria) went after the four leaders and joined with them immediately before the Arenberg cobbles (154km).
But the peloton was closing and entered the Arenberg section only 20 seconds behind the five leaders. During this section Peeters and Museeuw eased off to await the peloton; Desbiens, Zabel and Serpellini pressed on but were caught at km161 (cobbles Zone 13).
Unusually there were stil about 100 riders in with a shout after Arenberg, but the rhythm picked up considerably at Helesmes (km164). Twenty riders stretched out off the front: Ballerini, Bortolami, Leysen, Museeuw, Tafi (Mapei), Baldato (MG), Hincapie (Motorola), Ekimov (Rabobank), Serpellini (Panaria), Boscardin, Michaelsen (Festina), Holm (Telekom), Tchmil, Corvers (Lotto), Moncassin, Desbiens (GAN), Gorini (Aki), Camin, Milesi (Brescialat), Zanini (Gewiss). Behind was rout and confusion ("Derriere, c'est la debandade")
In the lead group of 20, Ballerini punctured three times in Zones 12 and 11 of cobbles [ie three times in about 10km at about km175]. The second was particularly unfortunate, coinciding with the rest of the Mapei piling on the pressure at the front. Ballerini got up to Tchmil, punctured the third time, got up to Tchmil again.... but Tafi, Bortolami and Museeuw were away.
The three Mapei stretched out a lead despite a puncture for Museeuw on Zone 10 (about km187). Tafi and Bortolami went on but were instructed to ease off for Museeuw to get back on. After a while the gap between the three Mapei and the next group -- Tchmil (Lotto), Ekimov (Rabobank), Zanini (Gewiss) and Ballerini (Mapei) -- stabilised at 1.05. Ballerini did nothing to help the chase.
Towards Seclin (about km219) Tafi, Bortolami and Museeuw had 1.45 on the chasers when Tchmil missed a corner and Ballerini took the opportunity to move clear with Zanini.
With Ballerini effectively chasing, he and Zanini had brought the gap down to a minute at Cysoing (km235). The Mapei team car dropped back and directeur-sportif Patrick Lefevere instructed Ballerini to ease off.
With the three leaders working hard together, Museeuw punctured with 8km to go and some confusion seemed to break out as to strategy -- but Tafi and Bortolami waited for him.
On the velodrome at Roubaix, the three Mapei respected the order of finish ordained by Lefevere: 1° Museeuw, 2° Bortolami e 3° Tafi.