As expected, the opening round of the three-day racing between France and Belgium concluded with a tough sprint this Wednesday at the Nokere Koerse. After a controlled race—despite a near-successful solo attack in the final—the victory was decided in an uphill sprint, where Jasper Philipsen came out on top, while Paul Penhoët fought his way to eighth place. Attention now turns to the Grand Prix de Denain.
A year after moving its finish line, previously located at the summit of the famous Nokereberg, the Nokere Koerse returned this Wednesday to a course similar to its last edition, featuring some twenty cobbled sectors followed and a final kilometre averaging a 4% gradient. “The first goal was to avoid getting caught out at the start, which wasn’t too difficult today as four riders went clear early,” explained Frédéric Guesdon. “Then we know that weather and wind play a major role on this circuit. So we needed to be well positioned approaching the climbs and cobbles, which the guys handled quite well.” The finishing circuit, covered three times in the last 80 kilometres, did not cause any real damage within the peloton. “It would speed up, then ease off, and that happened three times,” Frédéric said. “I thought there would be more racing in the final lap and that it would split more. It stretched out, but never broke. The conditions weren’t perfect for an aggressive race. All the teams were thinking about waiting for the final lap, not making useless efforts beforehand, and many also had a sprint option.” Despite a few accelerations, there was no real selection in the bunch. The early breakaway was caught with twenty kilometres to go, but Alec Segaert still threatened the sprinters’ plans with an attack fifteen kilometres from the line.
“We’re on the right track” – Frédéric Guesdon
The Belgian rider even started the final uphill kilometre with a twenty-second lead, but the peloton inevitably closed the gap. “We kept Paul for a sprint scenario, but Thibaud and Axel could also have had their chance,” Frédéric explained. “In such a hectic, hard sprint, it was useful to have several options. Cyril did a good job positioning Thibaud at the bottom; Thibaud was on Molano’s wheel with 300 metres to go, but he faded. Paul managed to move up, coming from behind, and was well placed with 200 metres to go. He got passed by two or three riders just before the line, but we don’t have too many regrets. We were simply beaten by stronger riders.” At the finish, favorite Jasper Philipsen took the win, while the Groupama-FDJ United sprinter secured eighth place. “It’s coming back well for Paul,” added Frédéric. “It was definitely a tough sprinters’ finish—you needed strong legs! He just needs to keep going like this. Of course, we always hope for better results, but it’s still a solid day to start this three-day racing. Paul is back in the mix, and as a team, we were there. Bastien also made his return to racing. He needed to stay alert at the start, then worked for the team. He’s improving and is satisfied with his day. We’re on the right track. Tomorrow, I think we have riders capable of performing at the Grand Prix de Denain, especially Axel, who loves cobbles, and Thibaud, who is discovering them but is going well.
