Alvaro Hodeg couldn’t fight for the win on the famous Nokereberg, after being caught up behind a pile-up.
The 73rd episode of Nokere Koerse meant the cobbles were back on the menu after a few weeks, serving as a delicious appetiser before the major northern classics, which are due to start next week. World Team Ranking leader Deceuninck – Quick-Step came at the start with a strong squad built around Alvaro Hodeg, who was making his first European outing of the season after successfully kicking off his campaign by claiming a stage win on home turf, at the Tour Colombia.
Seven riders forged clear as soon as the flag was dropped and established a maximum lead of eight minutes, which Rémi Cavagna and Iljo Keisse kept under control, before turning on the gas and chewing into the escapees’ gap, which was reduced to just two minutes as they entered the penultimate of the five laps scheduled.
Pieter Serry was another Deceuninck – Quick-Step to set a huge tempo at the front of the peloton, shutting down a plethora of moves coming from riders who tried to give the slip to the sprinters ahead of the final time up the Nokereberg. One of the most active and hard-working riders of the 195.6km race, Serry also made sure of protecting Hodeg on the narrow and twisty roads of Flanders, who then moved behind Florian Sénéchal inside the final three kilometers.
But bad luck struck at the foot of the hill, when just as the Le Samyn winner was navigating through the field with his teammate glued onto his wheel, ready to launch him, a brutal crash – one of the numerous to impact on the race in the last 50 kilometers – blocked them and spelled the end of any hopes at getting a good result. Fortunately, our riders escaped unscathed and crossed the line several minutes down, already eyeing up the next Belgian appointment of the week, Bredene Koksijde Classic.
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Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen/ Getty Images
