Nokere Koerse is a Belgian one-day cycling race that takes place around Nokere, a sub-municipality of Kruisem. The riders will face just under 190 kilometers in this edition, with around 25 kilometers of famous cobblestones. The course's history suggests that the final cobbles, especially the notorious cobbles in the last hundreds of meters up the Nokereberg, will be crucial. The organization has made several changes over the years, adding more challenges to create more decisive moments. However, this edition has seen the removal of certain climbs like Wolvenberg and Petegemberg,
History of Nokere Koerse
The event first took place in 1944 as the Prijs Jules Lowie and kept this name until 1961. It was renamed to its current title in 1963. From 2013 to 2016, it was known as the Nokere Koerse-Danilith Classic, and since 2017, it has been called Danilith Nokere Koerse. The race introduced a women's elite competition in 2019, with Lorena Wiebes becoming the inaugural winner. Hendrik Van Dyck holds the record for the most victories, winning three times in 1996, 1997, and 2000. The 1959 edition was canceled due to road works, the 2013 edition due to heavy snowfall, and the 2020 edition due to the coronavirus outbreak. The race also expanded to include a juniors category in 2016, though the 2020 and 2021 editions were canceled due to the pandemic.
Recent Winners of Nokere Koerse
2023: Tim Merlier
2022: Tim Merlier
2021: Ludovic Robeet
2020: Not held
2019: Cees Bol
2018: Fabio Jakobsen
2017: Nacer Bouhanni
2016: Timothy Dupont
2015: Kris Boeckmans