(SPORT INFO SPORTS) The 26-year-old Nacer Bouhanni won the 72nd edition of Danilith Nokere Koerse (1. BC) on Wednesday, starting in Deinze and finishing after 192.3 kilometers in Nokere. The Frenchman won after a mass sprint involving British champion Adam Blythe and Joeri Stallaert, among others.
From the start, various riders attempted to break away, but none succeeded. At the Tiegemberg, the first climb of the day after 36 kilometers of racing, there was a brief split in the peloton, but everything came back together after the descent. It wasn’t until the start of the first of seven local laps, on and around Nokereberg, each 13.2 kilometers long, that we saw the first major breakaway.
This was initiated by Floris De Tier, Ludwig De Winter, Kenneth Van Rooy, Gaetan Bille, the Norwegian Ole Forfang, the New Zealander Hamish Schreurs, and the Dutchman Elmar Reinders. The main group allowed them to gain a lead of two minutes. Kenneth Van Rooy was the most active rider in the battle for the mountain classification and secured the 250 euro prize. With two laps to go, the breakaway’s lead had shrunk to half a minute ahead of the first part of the peloton.
Further on, a regrouping occurred, although Floris De Tier and Ole Forfang resisted for a while. They were initially joined by Sean De Bie and the German Nils Politt, but the peloton did not let them go. The race remained very tense, resulting in several crashes. One of the main victims was Timothy Dupont, who saw his chance to extend his victory vanish in the final. With five kilometers to go, Floris Gerts tried to avoid the announced mass sprint. However, he was caught, as was his Swiss teammate at BMC, Silvan Dillier.
In the following group sprint, Nacer Bouhanni was unbeatable, winning clearly from the Brit Adam Blythe and Joeri Stallaert. Bouhanni, who finished third in 2014, succeeds Timothy Dupont, who won last year after a mass sprint against the Norwegian Kristoffer Halvorsen and the Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen.
Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) did not want to miss the victory in Nokere
(SPORT INFO SPORTS) = Nacer Bouhanni’s sprint was unmatched. The Frenchman convincingly won against the entire field. He left Paris-Nice earlier and wanted to have Danilith Nokere Koerse in his legs before heading to Milan-Sanremo.
“This was not an easy race. From the start, the pace was high. And traditionally, the racing here is very nervous,” began Nacer Bouhanni. “I knew I had to position myself at the front in the final with all those short turns. I started the sprint when we entered the final straight. That was about 350 meters from the finish. Then it was a matter of giving it my all. I succeeded. My next goal is Milan-Sanremo. I wanted to test my legs today before traveling to Italy. Winning in Nokere was not a must, but I couldn’t pass it up. I withdrew early from Paris-Nice and needed this race to get some race kilometers. Whether I’m one of the favorites for Milan-Sanremo? I don’t know. There are others who have this race as an objective. I don’t push myself forward. This race went perfectly for me. There was the early breakaway, and my teammates controlled the race for me. I just had to finish it in the final, although that’s always easier said than done,” laughed Bouhanni.
After the podium ceremony and press talk followed by the medical check, he got back on his bike and headed to the hotel to train some more for the Primavera.
Adam Blythe (Aqua Blue Sport) is making progress in his condition
(SPORT INFO SPORTS) = Nacer Bouhanni shot up Nokereberg like a bullet. Adam Blythe quickly realized that the best he could achieve on Nokereberg was a close second place.
“Bouhanni had the best line and was indeed the strongest today. I lost just a bit too much grip to beat him, but finishing second is still better than third,” clarified Adam Blythe. “It’s a very unusual sprint here. As a rider, you don’t often experience sprinting on a cobbled hill. But here you do. That’s what makes this race so special. On Friday, I’ll try my luck again in Handzame to achieve my first victory of the season. From what I’ve heard from journalists, it has always ended in a mass sprint there. Well, I hope it will be the same on Friday. My condition is improving steadily. I’m keeping my fingers crossed to deliver a good performance there. If it doesn’t work out in Handzame, my next goal is the Three Days of De Panne-Koksijde. There are also some chances for a mass sprint there. But first, let’s finish Friday.”
Joeri Stallaert (Cibel-Cebon) hopes for another mass sprint in Handzame Classic
(SPORT INFO SPORTS) = Finishing third after Nacer Bouhanni and Adam Blythe is certainly no disgrace. Joeri Stallaert knew this after he joined those two top sprinters on the podium of Danilith Nokere Koerse.
“It’s really crazy to position yourself well for the sprint here. Just before entering the last kilometer, we ride onto a narrow lane, and it’s a battle to hold your position in the peloton,” reported Joeri Stallaert. “Then it’s a 350-meter cobbled stretch to the finish. I felt very good in the race and had already informed my sports director Gaspard Van Peteghem. That way, I got the support of the whole team. Today, there were two riders who were just a bit faster than me, and I can accept that. On Friday, Nacer Bouhanni won’t be there. Furthermore, the sprint in Handzame Classic suits me better than what we had here, which was uphill on cobbles. I’m going for a victory on Friday. Additionally, finishing third in a race labeled as out of category is something to be proud of. I hope it ends in a mass sprint again in Handzame because I want to clinch a victory now.”
Kenneth Van Rooy (Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise) immediately made the mountain prize a goal
(SPORT INFO SPORTS) = Kenneth Van Rooy was part of the breakaway with seven riders that colored much of the race. Van Rooy turned necessity into virtue and immediately made the mountain prize, which Danilith Nokere Koerse offers, a goal.
“Last year, I had a very bad year due to various setbacks. Things are going better now. I wanted to sharpen my condition with an early breakaway, and I succeeded,” stated Kenneth Van Rooy. “When we eventually got ahead with seven men, I immediately made the mountain prize a goal. There was a nice bonus attached to it. Of course, such an effort takes its toll because others also aimed for that secondary classification. Fortunately, I collected enough points. I want to stand out more in the upcoming races. We rode at the front for a long time and gained good publicity. And we knew all too well that against a chasing peloton, there was nothing to be done with seven men.”
RESULT
1 Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) FRA 4:07:31
2 Adam Blythe (Aqua Blue Sport) GBR 0:00
3 Joeri Stallaert (Cibel – Cebon) BEL 0:00
4 Phil Bauhaus (Sunweb) GER 0:00
5 Bert Van Lerberghe (Sport Vlaanderen – Baloise) BEL 0:00
6 Coen Vermeltfoort (Roompot – Nederlandse Loterij) NED 0:00
7 Rüdiger Selig (Bora – Hansgrohe) GER 0:00
8 André Looij (Roompot – Nederlandse Loterij) NED 0:00
9 Alan Banaszek (CCC – Sprandi – Polkowice) POL 0:00
10 Mathias De Witte (Cibel – Cebon) BEL 0:00
11 Frantisek Sisr (CCC – Sprandi – Polkowice) CZE 0:00
12 Guillaume Boivin (Israel Cycling Academy) CAN 0:00
13 Jarl Salomein (Sport Vlaanderen – Baloise) BEL 0:00
14 Rob Leemans (Pauwels Sauzen – Vastgoedservice) BEL 0:00
15 Jelle Mannaerts (Tarteletto – Isorex) BEL 0:00
16 Justin Jules (WB Veranclassic – Aqua Protect) FRA 0:00
17 Jenthe Biermans (Katusha – Alpecin) BEL 0:00
18 Mihkel Räim (Israel Cycling Academy) EST 0:00
19 Steven Lammertink (Lotto NL – Jumbo) NED 0:00
20 Jasper De Buyst (Lotto – Soudal) BEL 0:00
21 Riccardo Stacchiotti ITA 0:00
22 Boris Vallée (Fortuneo – Vital Concept) BEL 0:00
23 Martin Elmiger (BMC Racing Team) SUI 0:00
24 Twan Castelijns (Lotto NL – Jumbo) NED 0:00
25 Danilo Napolitano (Wanty – Groupe Gobert) ITA 0:00
26 Timothy Stevens (Pauwels Sauzen – Vastgoedservice) BEL 0:00
27 Floris Gerts (BMC Racing Team) NED 0:00
28 Alexei Tsatevitch (Gazprom – Rusvelo) RUS 0:00
29 Aidis Kruopis (Verandas Willems – Crelan) LTU 0:00
30 Amund Grøndahl Jansen (Lotto NL – Jumbo) NOR 0:00
31 Romain Cardis (Direct Energie) FRA 0:00
32 Berden De Vries (Roompot – Nederlandse Loterij) NED 0:00
33 Aaron Gate (Aqua Blue Sport) NZL 0:00
34 Fabien Grellier (Direct Energie) FRA 0:00
35 Loïc Vliegen (BMC Racing Team) BEL 0:00
36 Etienne Van Empel (Roompot – Nederlandse Loterij) NED 0:00
37 Anders Skaarseth (Joker – Icopal) NOR 0:00
38 Miles Scotson (BMC Racing Team) AUS 0:00
39 Roy Jans (WB Veranclassic – Aqua Protect) BEL 0:00
40 Bert De Backer (Sunweb) BEL 0:00
41 José Isidro Maciel Gonçalves (Katusha – Alpecin) POR 0:00
42 Benoit Jarrier (Fortuneo – Vital Concept) FRA 0:00
43 Rob Ruijgh (Tarteletto – Isorex) NED 0:00
44 Viatcheslav Kuznetsov (Katusha – Alpecin) RUS 0:00
45 Arjen Livyns (Pauwels Sauzen – Vastgoedservice) BEL 0:00
46 Zico Waeytens (Sunweb) BEL 0:00
47 Martijn Budding (Roompot – Nederlandse Loterij) NED 0:00
48 Michal Paluta (CCC – Sprandi – Polkowice) POL 0:00
49 Jakub Kaczmarek (CCC – Sprandi – Polkowice) POL 0:00
50 Lasse Norman Hansen (Aqua Blue Sport) DEN 0:00
51 Remy Mertz (Lotto – Soudal) BEL 0:00
52 Andrea Pasqualon (Wanty – Groupe Gobert) ITA 0:00
53 David Boucher (Pauwels Sauzen – Vastgoedservice) FRA 0:00
54 Alexandre Pichot (Direct Energie) FRA 0:00
55 Nicolas Marini (Nippo – Vini Fantini) ITA 0:00
56 Roman Maikin (Gazprom – Rusvelo) RUS 0:00
57 Wesley Kreder (Wanty – Groupe Gobert) NED 0:00
58 Pierpaolo De Negri (Nippo – Vini Fantini) ITA 0:00
59 Antwan Tolhoek (Lotto NL – Jumbo) NED 0:00
60 Nils Politt (Katusha – Alpecin) GER 0:00
61 Jonas Koch (CCC – Sprandi – Polkowice) GER 0:00
62 Dries De Bondt (Verandas Willems – Crelan) BEL 0:00
63 Pieter Vanspeybrouck (Wanty – Groupe Gobert) BEL 0:00
64 Johannes Fröhlinger (Sunweb) GER 0:00
65 Igor Boev (Gazprom – Rusvelo) RUS 0:00
66 Kamil Malecki (CCC – Sprandi – Polkowice) POL 0:17
67 Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Wanty – Groupe Gobert) BEL 0:17
68 Lennard Kämna (Sunweb) GER 0:17
69 Michael Cools (Tarteletto – Isorex) BEL 0:17
70 Franck Bonnamour (Fortuneo – Vital Concept) FRA 0:17
71 Preben Van Hecke (Sport Vlaanderen – Baloise) BEL 0:17
72 Benjamin Perry (Israel Cycling Academy) CAN 0:17
73 Anton Vorobev (Gazprom – Rusvelo) RUS 0:17
74 Erik Baska (Bora – Hansgrohe) SVK 0:17
75 Oscar Riesebeek (Roompot – Nederlandse Loterij) NED 0:17
76 Tom Bohli (BMC Racing Team) SUI 0:17
77 Kilian Franikiny (BMC Racing Team) SUI 0:17
78 Maxim Belkov (Katusha – Alpecin) RUS 0:17
79 Guy Sagiv (Israel Cycling Academy) ISR 0:17
80 Huub Duyn (Verandas Willems – Crelan) NED 0:17
81 Gerry Druyts (Pauwels Sauzen – Vastgoedservice) BEL 0:17
82 Michiel Dieleman (Cibel – Cebon) BEL 0:17
83 Paul Ourselin (Direct Energie) FRA 0:17
84 Seppe Verschuere (Cibel – Cebon) BEL 0:17
85 Niels De Rooze (Tarteletto – Isorex) BEL 0:17
86 Florian Vachon (Fortuneo – Vital Concept) FRA 0:17
87 Krists Neilands (Israel Cycling Academy) LAT 0:17
88 Hugo Hofstetter (Cofidis) FRA 0:26
89 Jonas Vangenechten (Cofidis) BEL 0:26
90 Kenny Dehaes (Wanty – Groupe Gobert) BEL 0:26
91 Sean De Bie (Lotto – Soudal) BEL 0:26
92 Thomas Sprengers (Sport Vlaanderen – Baloise) BEL 0:26
93 Vegard Breen (Joker – Icopal) NOR 0:26
94 Edward Planckaert (Sport Vlaanderen – Baloise) BEL 0:26
95 Martijn Tusveld (Roompot – Nederlandse Loterij) NED 0:29
96 Robby Cobbaert (Cibel – Cebon) BEL 0:29
97 Maxime Vantomme (WB Veranclassic – Aqua Protect) BEL 0:32
98 Pascal Ackermann (Bora – Hansgrohe) GER 0:32
99 Dimitri Peyskens (WB Veranclassic – Aqua Protect) BEL 0:32
100 Dmitry Kozontchuk (Gazprom – Rusvelo) RUS 0:32
101 Laurens Ten Dam (Sunweb) NED 0:32
102 Dorian Godon (Cofidis) FRA 0:32
103 Jeremy Cornu (Direct Energie) FRA 0:32
104 Sindre Skjøstad Lunke (Sunweb) NOR 0:32
105 Andrey Solomennikov (Gazprom – Rusvelo) RUS 0:32
106 Mark McNally (Wanty – Groupe Gobert) GBR 0:32
107 Floris De Tier (Lotto NL – Jumbo) BEL 0:37
108 Frederik Frison (Lotto – Soudal) BEL 0:37
109 Silvan Dillier (BMC Racing Team) SUI 0:37
110 Marcel Sieberg (Lotto – Soudal) GER 0:40
111 Nicola Bagioli (Nippo – Vini Fantini) ITA 0:40
112 Stijn Steels (Sport Vlaanderen – Baloise) BEL 0:40
113 Dennis Van Winden (Israel Cycling Academy) NED 0:59
114 Kenneth Vanbilsen (Cofidis) BEL 1:01
115 Michael Van Staeyen (Cofidis) BEL 1:01
116 Frederik Backaert (Wanty – Groupe Gobert) BEL 1:04
117 Kevyn Ista (WB Veranclassic – Aqua Protect) BEL 1:04
118 Leigh Howard (Aqua Blue Sport) AUS 1:42
119 Dennis Coenen (Cibel – Cebon) BEL 1:42
120 Mads Würtz Schmidt (Katusha – Alpecin) DEN 1:48
121 Matthew Brammeier (Aqua Blue Sport) IRL 1:48
122 Enzo Wouters (Lotto – Soudal) BEL 1:48
123 Brecht Dhaene (Pauwels Sauzen – Vastgoedservice) BEL 1:51
124 Hamish Schreurs (Israel Cycling Academy) NZL 1:54
125 Ludwig De Winter (WB Veranclassic – Aqua Protect) BEL 1:56
126 Elmar Reinders (Roompot – Nederlandse Loterij) NED 1:56
127 Martijn Keizer (Lotto NL – Jumbo) NED 1:56
128 Koen Bouwman (Lotto NL – Jumbo) NED 1:56
129 Lukas Pöstlberger (Bora – Hansgrohe) AUT 1:56
130 Jimmy Janssens (Cibel – Cebon) BEL 2:00
131 Andrew Fenn (Aqua Blue Sport) GBR 2:00
132 Evgeny Shalunov (Gazprom – Rusvelo) RUS 2:00
133 Ole Forfang (Joker – Icopal) NOR 2:09
134 Michael Goolaerts (Verandas Willems – Crelan) BEL 2:09
135 Loïc Chetout (Cofidis) FRA 2:34
136 Gaëtan Bille (Verandas Willems – Crelan) BEL 2:36
137 Marco Mathis (Katusha – Alpecin) GER 2:41
138 Adrian Kurek (CCC – Sprandi – Polkowice) POL 2:41
139 Francis Mourey (Fortuneo – Vital Concept) FRA 2:44
140 Patryk Stosz (CCC – Sprandi – Polkowice) POL 2:46
141 Tony Hurel (Direct Energie) FRA 2:55
142 Andreas Schillinger (Bora – Hansgrohe) GER 3:45
143 Kenneth Van Rooy (Sport Vlaanderen – Baloise) BEL 3:52
144 Alexander Maes BEL 3:52
145 Aimé De Gendt (Sport Vlaanderen – Baloise) BEL 3:52
146 Yohann Gène (Direct Energie) FRA 4:18
147 Zakkari Dempster (Israel Cycling Academy) AUS 4:18
148 Ryan Anderson (Direct Energie) CAN 4:21
149 Kris Boeckmans (Lotto – Soudal) BEL 4:29
150 Jhonatan Restrepo Valencia (Katusha – Alpecin) COL 4:29
151 Erwan Corbel (Fortuneo – Vital Concept) FRA 5:15
152 Bert-Jan Lindeman (Lotto NL – Jumbo) NED 5:27
153 Peter Koning (Aqua Blue Sport) NED 5:35
154 Sander Cordeel (Verandas Willems – Crelan) BEL 7:27
155 Timothy Dupont (Verandas Willems – Crelan) BEL 7:42
156 Kristoffer Skjerping (Joker – Icopal) NOR 7:42
157 Kristoffer Halvorsen (Joker – Icopal) NOR 7:42
158 Adrian Aas Stien (Joker – Icopal) NOR 7:42
159 Bjørn Tore Nilsen Hoem NOR 7:42
160 Markus Hoelgård (Joker – Icopal) NOR 7:42
161 Alessandro Bisolti (Nippo – Vini Fantini) ITA 8:19
162 Andrew Leigh (Tarteletto – Isorex) GBR 8:19
163 Barry Markus (Pauwels Sauzen – Vastgoedservice) NED 8:19
164 James Shaw (Lotto – Soudal) GBR 8:19
165 Conor Dunne (Aqua Blue Sport) IRL 8:19
166 Lawrence Naesen (WB Veranclassic – Aqua Protect) BEL 8:19
167 Kevin Verwaest (Tarteletto – Isorex) BEL 9:01
168 Jonathan Breyne (Tarteletto – Isorex) BEL 9:29.
