Philipsen taken away by ambulance after heavy crash in final kilometer of Nokere Koerse, Eekhoff wins on comeback after AlUla crash

Nils Eekhoff (Picnic PostNL) claimed victory in Nokere Koerse 2025 under the sunny skies of Flanders. The Dutchman powered away in the uphill final kilometer, leaving his rivals behind. Top favorite Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) crashed in the closing moments of the race.

With Milan-San Remo coming up this Saturday, many teams and riders are in full preparation mode for the first Monument of the season. Despite this, Nokere Koerse once again managed to attract a strong field. Among the fast men in the peloton were Arnaud De Lie, Milan Fretin, and Pavel Bittner. But the biggest favorite? That was undoubtedly Jasper Philipsen, who is also set to start in Italy on Saturday.

Early in the race, a breakaway of four riders went clear. The escapees, including Jelle Johannink from Unibet Tietema Rockets, enjoyed a warm Belgian spring day as they built a lead of just under two minutes. Rasmus Bogh Wallin (Uno-X), Alex Colman (Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise), and Lennert Teugels (Tartoletto-Isorex) joined the Dutchman, and the group worked well together. However, their advantage gradually shrank, and with 100 kilometers to go, only a minute and a half remained.

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Philipsen shows early aggression in the race

The sunny conditions made it easier for the sprint teams to control the race. Alpecin-Deceuninck and Tudor worked together to keep things in check, but at 75 kilometers to go, a strong counterattack formed. Jonas Rickaert (Alpecin-Deceuninck) attacked on the cobbles, joined by Florian Vermeersch (UAE Emirates-XRG), Arjen Livyns (Lotto), and Tim Declercq (Lidl-Trek). It was a dangerous group, and the peloton wasn’t keen on giving them too much space. However, Vermeersch wasn’t ready to give up so easily.

Philipsen himself closed the gap, partly with Saturday’s Milan-San Remo in mind. With that move, he single-handedly shut down the attack. One lap later, another UAE rider, Mikkel Bjerg, tried to break away on the Lange Ast, but he also failed to gain an advantage. A crash then sent a shockwave through the peloton, leaving Robbe Dhont (Picnic PostNL) injured on the tarmac. Not long after, Timo Roosen from the same team also went down, though he was able to continue.

These incidents stretched out the peloton, and Alpecin-Deceuninck took advantage, forcing a split. Philipsen was once again one of the key instigators, with about ten riders making the selection. Among them were Arnaud De Lie, Vermeersch, Lukas Kubis (Unibet Tietema Rockets), and Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ). Philipsen then launched another move, this time with Arthur Kluckers (Tudor) and Kubis as the only ones able to follow. De Lie was dropped, forcing Lotto Dstny to work hard to bring the race back together.

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De Lie misses the finale, and ultimately, so does Philipsen

Lotto Dstny managed to bring everything back together, setting up for what seemed like an inevitable sprint in Nokere. But the breakaway riders had other plans. Wallin launched a final attack, distancing his fellow escapees. With twenty kilometers to go, he held a forty-second lead, which he defended with everything he had. However, as the peloton picked up speed on the cobblestones, his advantage quickly started to shrink.

At the back of the peloton, a painful sight unfolded: despite the large group still in contention, Arnaud De Lie was forced to drop. The relentless pace set by Florian Vermeersch at the front had shattered the field, with only Philipsen, Kluckers, Kubis, and Molano managing to stay with him. These were the strongest riders in the race—or more accurately, Philipsen was the strongest man in the race. However, a solo attack wasn’t an option for him, so the race was left to a select group of around ten riders, while Soudal Quick-Step was left chasing behind.

Unibet Tietema Rockets took control at the front, but Intermarché-Wanty and Groupama-FDJ closed the gap just before the final cobbled sector. At that point, it became clear that a sprint was inevitable. Alpecin-Deceuninck positioned themselves perfectly, with Jonas Rickaert leading the way. But just as the final sprint was about to unfold, a major crash occurred. Top favorite Philipsen was caught in it, painfully hitting the ground and left behind in agony, while the sprint played out at the front.

Askey started his sprint from afar, then Menten thundered over it. Eekhoff then attacked from afar and miraculously held on until the finish line, with an insanely strong sprint. And that after his heavy crash in AlUla.

Results Nokere Koerse men 2025

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"Don’t be two minutes late"; Winter with Van der Poel was reality check for Philipsen

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