Eekhoff initially led out Bittner for the sprint, but still had to sprint for the win himself: "In the end, I just went for it"

Nils Eekhoff had to spend nearly two months recovering from a brutal crash in the AlUla Tour, where he suffered multiple broken teeth and a fractured jaw. But in his very first race back, Nokere Koerse, the Picnic PostNL rider claimed victory in the bunch sprint on the newly designed finish. Ironically, the original plan was for Eekhoff to lead out teammate Pavel Bittner, not sprint for himself.

Eekhoff began his season at the AlUla Tour in late January, completing his first race kilometers of the year. But in stage three, disaster struck—while preparing for the final sprint, the tall Dutchman crashed hard and slammed into a lamppost at high speed, lying motionless on the ground. His recovery took weeks.

Before the start of Nokere Koerse, IDLProCycling.com spoke with Eekhoff, who arrived at the race in good spirits. He could finally eat normally again, something that had been difficult in the weeks leading up to his return. "I’m still a bit careful with hard nuts, chewing with caution—but more out of precaution than necessity. Fortunately, the energy bars we eat during races are quite soft, so that’s easy. This morning, I just had white bread, which is more than enough."

Despite missing weeks of racing, Eekhoff lined up with confidence. "The good thing is that I wasn’t completely inactive. I was able to train pretty well. I think everyone saw the crazy weather in Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico—those races really take a toll on you."

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In the AlUla Tour, things went very wrong for Eekhoff. 

Eekhoff's first pro win after long recovery is extra special

After 188 kilometers, Nils Eekhoff finally raised his arms in victory—his first-ever pro win in a road race. "This is a really important victory. My first pro win in a stage race," he said in his flash interview. Until now, his only professional win was in a time trial at the ZLM Tour. "I’m very happy I could finish it off. I’ve had some tough weeks after my crash in the AlUla Tour, but now I’m incredibly happy."

The race was ultimately decided in a bunch sprint, finishing on the newly designed uphill Nokereberg finish. "It was a long final kilometer uphill. I positioned Pavel (Bittner), and the sprint started from far out, but everyone faded. I waited, and in the end, I just went for it. I managed to hold it to the line."

His team director at Picnic PostNL, Roy Curvers, praised his timing. "This is exactly what he does well," the Dutch coach told IDLProCycl. "This finish suited him perfectly. The way the race unfolded—hard racing that took the edge off the pure sprinters—played right into his strengths." Eekhoff had to train on the indoor trainer at home to prepare for his comeback, but his long recovery paid off in the best way possible.

After 188 kilometers, Nils Eekhoff finally raised his arms in victory—his first-ever pro win in a road race. "This is a really important victory. My first pro win in a stage race," he said in his flash interview. Until now, his only professional win was in a time trial at the ZLM Tour. "I’m very happy I could finish it off. I’ve had some tough weeks after my crash in the AlUla Tour, but now I’m incredibly happy."

The race was ultimately decided in a bunch sprint, finishing on the newly designed uphill Nokereberg finish. "It was a long final kilometer uphill. I positioned Pavel (Bittner), and the sprint started from far out, but everyone faded. I waited, and in the end, I just went for it. I managed to hold it to the line."

His team director at Picnic PostNL, Roy Curvers, praised his timing. "This is exactly what he does well," the Dutch coach told IDLProCycling.com. "This finish suited him perfectly. The way the race unfolded—hard racing that took the edge off the pure sprinters—played right into his strengths."

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Eekhoff had to train on the indoor trainer at home to prepare for his comeback

Eekhoff was supposed to lead out the sprint for Bittner

However, Eekhoff was not originally meant to sprint for the win—that role was intended for Pavel Bittner. "The plan was for Nils to lead out Pavel," Curvers explained. "But after the cobbled section, Pavel told us he was completely spent. Nils tried to motivate him, saying, ‘Come on, let’s go for it,’ but halfway up the final climb, he realized Pavel wasn’t there anymore. So he adjusted and timed it perfectly."

Eekhoff felt his positioning improving in the final kilometers, while others struggled. "It’s a tough finish, so timing is difficult. You can see riders dropping off." Bittner, the 22-year-old Czech talent, couldn’t keep up and lost his lead-out’s wheel.

For Curvers, this victory confirms Eekhoff’s strengths. "We know Nils should focus on these types of races. In a pure sprint, he’s a great lead-out, but when the race is hard, we’re more than happy to back him in a sprint or reduced group."

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Nils Eekhoff with hands in the air at the Nokereberg.

Eekhoff heads into the classics with fresh legs

After his victory in Nokere Koerse, Nils Eekhoff will continue racing in Bredene-Koksijde before heading to the stage race Tour of Catalonia. "He’s going to Catalonia now, where we hope he can take another step in race conditioning. Then we’ll play him as a protected rider in the Flemish classics," team director Roy Curvers explained.

Eekhoff himself, who once feared that his spring campaign was over after his crash in the AlUla Tour, is looking forward to the upcoming races with confidence. "In that sense, I think I’m actually fresher than most riders. They may have more race rhythm, but I’ll try to make up for that in Catalonia. I’m just really excited. I trust my form because I haven’t had to sacrifice much."

Curvers also emphasized how impressed he is with Eekhoff’s resilience after his injury. This victory felt extra special for the former pro, considering everything that happened and the effort put into Eekhoff’s recovery. "Hopefully, this is a sign of what’s to come—a period where he can truly show what he’s capable of."

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