Nokere March 14, 2012 – Francesco Chicchi (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) wins the 67th Nokere Koerse

NOKERE 14/03 (SPORT INFO SPORTS) =

The Italian Francesco Chicchi won the 67th edition of Nokere Koerse on Wednesday, starting in Ronse and finishing after 195.9 kilometers in Nokere. The Tuscan triumphed in a mass sprint against Kris Boeckmans and the Dutchman Boy van Poppel.

MINUTE OF SILENCE
Just before the start of the 67th Nokere Koerse, a minute of absolute silence was held in Ronse. ‘This is out of respect for the deceased, injured, and family members of the victims of the bus accident in Switzerland,’ stated race director Rony Desloovere. ‘We made this decision unanimously with our board after being informed of this terrible event.’

GROUP OF THIRTEEN
After a very turbulent start, Kenny De Haes, Steven Van Vooren, Bert De Backer, Pieter Ghyllebert, Boris Dron, the Latvian Aleksejs Saramotins, the Brit Adam Blythe, the American Jacob Rathe, the Pole Michal Kwiatkowski, the Dutchmen Stefan van Dijk and Arnoud van Groen, and the Frenchmen Mickael Delage and Rony Martias broke away from the peloton after about 70 kilometers. They were allowed to ride ahead of the main group for a while, although without Steven Van Voorenwho had been the victim of a crash.

MASS SPRINT
Three laps from the end, the escapees were caught after a strong acceleration by the Vacansoleil team. Various riders tried to avoid the long-anticipated mass sprint but to no avail.

The Omega Pharma-Quickstep team set up a train in the last five kilometers, and this hard work was beautifully finished by the Tuscan Francesco Chicchi, who left everyone behind. Kris Boeckmans came in second, followed by the Dutchman Boy van Poppel. The German André Schulze finished fourth, and the Dutchman Michel Kreder fifth.

CRASH
The fast Arnaud Démare, one of the favorites, was unable to defend his chances in the sprint due to a crash in the last two kilometers. Other contenders, such as Theo Bos, were also held up by this.

REACTIONS COLLECTED BY ERWIN DE VEIRMAN:

Francesco Chicchi (Omega Pharma-Quick Step): Team worked hard for me
NOKERE 14/03 (SPORT INFO SPORTS) = With Francesco Chicchi, the first Italian is listed as a winner of Nokere Koerse.
‘I knew the finish because I had raced here a few times before, and that was certainly an advantage,’ said Francesco Chicchi. ‘It’s really a special finish area here. Uphill but on cobblestones. I was able to come out of my teammates’ wheel at the right moment. The team believed in my abilities and worked hard for me. I am happy that I could finish it off.’

Kris Boeckmans (Vacansoleil-DCM): Back on the podium

NOKERE 14/03 (SPORT INFO SPORTS) = Just like in 2010, Kris Boeckmans ended up in the closest podium position.
‘Back then it was behind Jens Keukeleire, now behind Francesco Chicchi,’ said Kris Boeckmans. ‘So once again, I am second. Unfortunately, because I had even gone to the hairdresser to look good when I would be on the podium. Unfortunately, it’s not on the top step. The team did a great job closing the gap with an early breakaway. We couldn’t keep going because it was too far from the finish. In the actual sprint, Chicchi had already started before it really began. I was just a bit too boxed in, but I’m still neatly on the podium.’

Boy van Poppel (UnitedHealthcare): Happy with third place
NOKERE 14/03 (SPORT INFO SPORTS) = In the sprint, there was no match for Francesco Chicchi.
‘I was able to position myself at the front, but more than a third place was not possible for me,’ clarified Boy van Poppel. ‘This is certainly good publicity for the team in a prestigious race. I should be happy with my third place.’

Mountain Prize Winner Stefan van Dijk

RESULT: 195.5 km. 183 participants; 27 withdrawals; 156 classified.