With a two minute lead
Briek Schotte expressed his satisfaction at the end of the grueling road race in Nokere. During the second half of the race, the riders cycled on cobbled roads that evoked memories of the Hell of the North. Rony Van de Vijver even said: “I suffered there. It was very difficult. The cobblestones really broke me when I was caught after my breakaway.”
Dré Dierickx feared nothing and no one. According to objective observers, the “great” Dierickx was on display at Nokere. Dré doesn’t actually believe that: “I was planning on not starting at first. Since Paris-Roubaix, something’s been wrong with my health. If I had been cycling at full speed in La Flèche Wallonne on Sunday, I couldn’t have finished just… ninth.”
Before the start, Dierickx doubted himself. He told us: “If you had been as unwell as I have been lately, you wouldn’t have been able to get out of bed. However, I had a choice on Tuesday. Either practice alone in the rain, or brave the bad weather to ride a 150 km race. In the end, I chose to start in Nokere.”
Dierickx was able to extend his lead by up to two minutes in the final 20 km. He was certainly supported by De Boever and Du Bois. But Dierickx adds: “Sercu and Van de Kerckhove, however, cycled with complete dedication. They saw the gap widen even further.”
A semi-ill Dierickx set another example on Tuesday. Forty of the fifty-nine riders who started didn’t push to the finish. It was raining and windy, and the course was too much for their legs. After a four-hour ride, Dierickx remained relaxed. In our opinion, Dierickx further proves that a fourth-place finish in Paris-Roubaix was a flash of budding greatness.
Patrick Sercu made his comeback in Nokere. His presence was greatly appreciated. Patrick proved to be a force in the leading group and won the “mountain sprint” for second place.
Roger Marlier
Result : 59 Professional cyclists
1. André Dierickx (Merelbeke) 150 km. in 4 h 06
2. Patrick Sercu on 2′
3. Bernard Vandekerckhove
4. Wim Du Bois (nl)
5. Jaak De Boever on 2’15”
6. Romain Furnière
7. Willy Donie on 4′
8. Leopold Vanden Neste
9. Walter Boucquet
10. Noel Van Tyghem
11. Roland Vande Rijse
12. Eric Demunster
13. Albert Van Midden (nl)
14. Christiaan Callens
15. Willy De Waele
16. Emiel Lambrecht
17. Peter Head (gb)
18. Freddy Decloedt
19. Julien Gaelens
20. Christiaan Van de Gehuchte
All the other participants stopped fighting.
