Cees Bol (Sunweb) won the 74th edition of Nokere Koerse (cat. 1.BC) today.

After 195.6 kilometers from Deinze to Kruisem, the 23-year-old Dutchman stayed ahead of German Pascal Ackermann and Jasper Philipsen in the sprint of a large group.

Under ideal weather conditions, the starting signal was given just after half past twelve in Deinze for the 74th edition of Nokere Koerse. The focal point of the race was the many cobblestone sections and the Nokereberg, which had to be conquered no fewer than seven times. The finish line was also drawn on this climb. Beforehand, Dutch champion Mathieu van der Poel and Remco Evenepoel could count on extra attention due to their first appearance in the spring classics.

Long breakaway with five riders

It took quite a while before the long breakaway was formed, but eventually after 28 kilometers of racing on the Tiegemberg, five riders broke away. David Boucher, Axel Journiaux, Yoann Offredo, Van der Poel’s teammate Otto Vergaerde and Mattia Viel joined forces and quickly pulled away from the peloton. During the first passage of the finish in Nokere after 56 kilometers, their lead was already almost eight minutes.

Around mid-race, the peloton gradually began to reduce the time gap, partly through the efforts of Deceuninck-Quick Step. Other teams also began to get involved in the chase, causing the lead to decrease further. Many teams had sent their fast men here. When nervousness increased at about fifty kilometers from the finish, the peloton was shaken several times by crashes.

Van der Poel and Boom test their legs

At the front, Journiaux and Viel were the first escapees who had to drop off, while the remaining three continued to ride stubbornly. During the passages over the Nokereberg, it was consistently the 39-year-old David Boucher who collected the points for the Pur Natur mountain prize. At 39.5 kilometers from the finish, Van der Poel tested his legs for the first time on the cobblestones at Wannegem and there was a counter-reaction from Lars Boom, another rider with a background in cyclocross. Both riders showed themselves very active and seemed to want to tire the sprinters. However, everything came back together and calm returned.

At thirty kilometers from the finish, the lead of the three leaders had already been reduced to just half a minute, so it was a matter of time before they were caught. Riders repeatedly tried to make the crossing, but it was ultimately the early escapees themselves who threw in the towel when entering the final 25 kilometers. After that, attacks came one after another.

In this way, Clément Carisey and Clément Russo came to lie ahead for some time. The French riders gained a lead of half a minute. But on the Lange Ast at just over ten kilometers from the finish, they too were caught again. On the cobblestones of the Huisepontweg, the peloton was stretched into a long line. Marco Canola tried to ride away, but the Italian eliminated himself with a crash while leading.

Final sprint marred by heavy crash involving Van der Poel

Boom tried to launch an attack in the final four kilometers, but the Dutchman from Roompot-Charles was again given no room. A sprint on the Nokereberg had to decide who would take the victory. Sunweb led the peloton under the flag of the final kilometer. A heavy crash in the final 300 meters caused quite a stir. Among others, Mathieu van der Poel was eliminated by this.

Pascal Ackermann seemed on his way to victory, but it was Cees Bol who succeeded Fabio Jakobsen on the honor roll. The Sunweb rider proved to be the strongest on the Nokereberg in the sprint of a thinned group. Ackermann had to settle for second place, while Jasper Philipsen finished third. For Bol, it is his first victory as a professional.

Frenchman David Boucher won the PUR NATUR mountain prize worth 1,500 euros. He collected his points during the breakaway of 5.

REACTIONS AFTER THE RACE:

Cees Bol (winner): “Super cool that I win here! These weren’t easy weeks for Sunweb, with many hard crashes. I’m happy that I can provide good news for once. Max (Walscheid) and Asbjørn (Kragh Andersen) did superbly in the preparation. I could ride the red carpet to the finish, although the last 50 meters was indeed a sprint of dying swans. Hopefully this is the start of a good season.”

Pascal Ackermann (2nd): “It was a very hard race. I maybe started the sprint a bit too early and lost some power at the end. Congratulations to the winner, he was stronger today.”

Jasper Philipsen (3rd): “I hadn’t hoped for more beforehand, but during the race I did feel that I could compete for the victory. I still had power left at the end. I was just positioned a bit too far back at the final corner. Positioning is crucial here in the sprint. It’s a bit unfortunate that I couldn’t get closer.”