Nokere Koerse 2025, March 19th

[postmanhat]

Cofidis know how to play the game too, Piet Allegaert is about to drop the most dastardly racing schedule we've ever seen, from Turkmenistan to the Hebrides.

Fair play to The UCI. Am probably invested more in this contest than anything that happens at The TDF.

 

[SafeBet]

Moschetti has a big scar on his cheek, chin

Last year he was hit by a truck while training. Had two fractured vertebrae, broken collarbone and his face was affected too.

 

[red_flanders]

Thank God they changed the finish...

Hmmm...I didn't watch the whole thing, but watching the finale, I wondered if the race was less interesting because everyone was waiting until the end to attack.

Previous versions have had very small groups reach the finish together, with a lot of attrition, which I prefer.

 

[Samamba]

Previous versions have had very small groups reach the finish together, with a lot of attrition, which I prefer.

Where did you get this from? Nokere was always some sort of bunch sprint.

 

[red_flanders]

Where did you get this from? Nokere was always some sort of bunch sprint.

I guess that depends on how you characterize things. Would you call last year a bunch sprint? https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/nokere-koerse/2024/result

 

[Samamba]

I guess that depends on how you characterize things. Would you call last year a bunch sprint? https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/nokere-koerse/2024/result

I think you forget about the fact that all those gaps were there because of crashes in the last kilometer. That's the whole reason why they changed the parcours. Merlier literally won 3 times in a row. Jakobsen won this before, Bouhanni did, Always been a sprint apart from some exceptions like when Robeet won out of the early break.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Hmmm...I didn't watch the whole thing, but watching the finale, I wondered if the race was less interesting because everyone was waiting until the end to attack.

Previous versions have had very small groups reach the finish together, with a lot of attrition, which I prefer.

Aside from the fact that, as @Samamba has already pointed out, the old finish was usually a sprint too, I would like to add that the group that broke away on the final Doorn was a more potent threat than what we usually see in the finale of this race and would probably have made it if Philipsen wasn't twice as fast on paper as the next-best sprinter in that group.

Honestly wondering if you are getting this one confused with another race (maybe Samyn?).

 

[Brullnux]

I guess that depends on how you characterize things. Would you call last year a bunch sprint? https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/nokere-koerse/2024/reresult

These gaps all came in the final kilometre, either from crashes or positioning being bad and giving up

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

Just watched the race.
Big, wide, dangerous puncheur Waregemberg was just too bold a statement by the organizers.
So back to good old, narrow, cobbled and much safer Nokeredorpstraat finish next year
No honestly, my first eyes at the crash looking at Philipsen looked like a horror crash, and rewinding in slowmo looked even worse
I'll change my vote for M-SR winner, yet again.

 

[jmdirt]

I love it when a dom wins! Toss in from a smaller team and that's even better!
Congrats NE!

 

[tobydawq]

Just watched the race.
Big, wide, dangerous puncheur Waregemberg was just too bold a statement by the organizers.
So back to good old, narrow, cobbled and much safer Nokeredorpstraat finish next year
No honestly, my first eyes at the crash looking at Philipsen looked like a horror crash, and rewinding in slowmo looked even worse
I'll change my vote for M-SR winner, yet again.

A horror crash? If that was a horror crash, there are fifty of them in a season...

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

A horror crash? If that was a horror crash, there are fifty of them in a season...

Corresponds quite well to the state of affairs these years
I'm specifically thinking about the heli view, buttom picture with at first 2-3 riders crashing sideways in domino effect, the latter snapping Philipsen's rear wheel and specifically how he does a very sudden somersault head first straight into the asphalt at sprint speed. Having my eyes on Philipsen already, it looked really bad on the live signal at 1:1 time frame speed.

 

[tobydawq]

Corresponds quite well to the state of affairs these years
I'm specifically thinking about the heli view, buttom picture with at first 2-3 riders crashing sideways in domino effect, the latter snapping Philipsen's rear wheel and specifically how he does a very sudden somersault head first straight into the asphalt at sprint speed. Having my eyes on Philipsen already, it looked really bad on the live signal at 1:1 time frame speed.

It wasn't really at sprint speed, though. It was uphill and they didn't ride particularly fast. If they did, I could have agreed, but you can't call that a horror crash.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

It wasn't really at sprint speed, though. It was uphill and they didn't ride particularly fast. If they did, I could have agreed, but you can't call that a horror crash.

It's probably just me who has been fooled around here at my older days.
When I was younger I willingly flewing acrobatically over the handlebars if someone crashed in front of me and barely a scratch. Today I still suffer from a crash at 5kmh speed, happening 3 weeks ago

No, seriously.
During summer holiday july 2022, i.e. quite recently, I took Waregemberg as a hill sprint, i.e. the exact finish, and was able to keep up the speed (more or less), and then this year when I saw the new finishing line I thought the pros would be able to sprint at a somewhat higher speed. But of course you are right that it is not at 70km/h - I am only talking about my immediate experience while I saw the finishing line unfold and thought the rider had been very badly injured with his head and neck. But now I have just seen it again - Philipsen does not do a direct loop down into the asphalt, but a little crooked to the right - and yes, there are many more of them than 50 a year, just take the highest pro level.

So OK, objection taken.