There is no Koerse like Danilith Nokere Koerse!
There is no Koerse like Danilith Nokere Koerse!
After having won Gent-Wevelgem earlier this season and delivering a good performance in the Amstel Gold Race on Saturday, Herman Frison achieved a well-deserved victory in Nokere a few days after his 29th birthday. His victory somewhat gilded the disappointment of the organizers of Nokere Sport over the low turnout. For years, over 100 riders had come to Nokere Koerse as ideal training for a number of classics, including many prominent names. Now that the race has moved several times on the calendar, little remains of the glory days.
Despite everything, the 36 participants from yesterday on the hilly course and the foothills of the Flemish Ardennes still provided a fairly exciting race. While everything initially remained well grouped, a few accelerations by Eric Van Lancker on Nokere Berg itself caused a first selection. To such an extent that in the fourth of the thirteen rounds to be completed, eight riders broke away. They were Herman Frison, Roger Van Den Bossche, Filip Van Vooren, Mark Macharis, Patrick De Wael, Fons De Wolf, Peter Naessens and Ferdi Dierickx. This leading group already had a 3’50” lead over the peloton at the end of the seventh round. It came back in the final rounds to 2’40” and less, but the leading group remained out of reach.
While Fons De Wolf and Ferdi Dierickx lost some contact with their fellow escapees in the penultimate round over Waregem, only Luc Colijn managed to reach the escapees with a remarkable comeback. However, there was nothing more in it for him because Frison, Van Den Bossche and Van Vooren all attacked together in the final round. Herman Frison, who had not seen Roger Van Den Bossche at work very often, took no chances and left his companions behind in the final kilometers. In the end, the Retie rider held a 25-second advantage over Van Den Bossche and 27 over Van Vooren. Marc Macharis finished a creditable fourth at 45 seconds ahead of De Waele and Colijn. Pol Haghedooren won the peloton sprint at 1’35”.
JDV
Results: 36 professional riders
1. Herman FRISON (Meerhout) the 170 km in 4h28min
2. Roger Van Den Bossche at 25 sec
3. Filip Van Vooren at 27 sec
4. Marc Macharis
5. Patrick De Wael
6. Luc Colyn
7. Fons De Wolf
8. Peter Naessens
9. Ferdi Dierickx
10. Paul Haghedooren at 1min 35sec
11. Frank Hoste
12. Yves Godimus
13. Ludo Peeters
14. Dirk Heirweg
15. Geert Decorte
16. Rudy Patry
17. Ludo Giesberts
18. Peter Van Impe
19. Rik Van Slijcke
20. Colin Sturgess (Gbr)
21. Johan Devos
22. Patrick Schoovaerts at 3min 40sec
23. Rene Martens
24. Eddy Vancraeynest at 6min 10sec
25. Jerry Cooman
26. Roger Dahlberg (Nzl)
27. Peter Spaenhoven
28. Marc Seynaeve
In March 1963, alderman Constant Verhaege was at the cradle of Nokere-Sport. He immediately became the chairman of this sports committee that organized a professional cycling race every year with Nokere fair, labeled by many as a classic among fair races.
In November 1990, he resigned as chairman of Nokere-sport at the doctor’s request after 28 years of distinguished service. That is why he was appropriately honored last month in the Groenhove hall in Waregem together with two other departing board members, Adolf Ballekens and Sylvain Neufcourt.
He was presented with a commemorative plaque and said it was the third one he had received recently: one in Ghent, at the BWB headquarters, and later at the town hall, when Nokere-sport received a tribute reception for its 25th anniversary.
However, no one had suspected that the farewell of the popular figure as chairman of Nokere-sport was the harbinger of his final farewell to his many friends and acquaintances. And yet, after a short stay in Waregem hospital, he died there on January 12, 1991, at the age of 73.
Constant was first alderman in Nokere until the merger in 1976, currently a board member of the NSB department and chairman of the Saint Nicholas Committee Nokere.
It was with a heavy heart that Constant Verhaege recently said farewell as chairman of Nokere-sport, placing full confidence in his successor Marc Van Cauwenberghe, who had been secretary beside him for 28 years. Nokere race was always the happiest day of the year for Constant Verhaege.
He will be remembered as the man with the inseparable hat who always stood ready at the finish line with the red flag when a prize or victory had to be sprinted for by the riders.
It pleased Constant Verhaege that he was spontaneously considered by the renewed board for the title of honorary chairman. This way he would remain involved in the operation without being asked to put the same energy as before into the organization.
Unfortunately, Nokere race 1990 will have been his last and Herman Frison the last winner he was able to congratulate afterwards. With Constant Verhaege disappears a man who goes down in history as someone who always appeared jovial and cheerful in all circumstances.
André Marlier