Nokere Koerse 2026 | Philipsen gets one last Belgian test before Milan-Sanremo

The roll of honour shows this is traditionally a race for the fast men, although last year’s winner was something of a surprise. Tim Merlier won the Belgian classic in 2022, 2023 and 2024, but in his absence it was Nils Eekhoff who took the biggest win of his career in 2025.

That came on the new finish on Waregemsestraat. The organisers were more or less forced to change the finale last year after a series of crashes in previous editions. Eekhoff’s spectacular victory showed that the decision had absolutely been the right one, even if Jasper Philipsen still crashed there. In any case, the organisation has decided to keep the same finish for 2026.

2025 Nils Eekhoff

The race distance drops slightly from 188.2 kilometres in 2025 to 186.4 kilometres in 2026. The start remains in Deinze, and the opening part of the race consists of a long run-in toward the local circuit. That approach already includes several obstacles, with the Eikenberg serving as the first real climb of the day at around 50 kilometres to go. Before that, the riders will already have tackled the Paddestraat and Holleweg, the first two cobbled sectors of the race.

Via Oudenaarde, the riders continue toward a sequence of climbs and cobbled sections. After the cobbles of Varent and the climbs of Hellestraat, Holstraat, Petegemberg and Pareelstraat, they reach the Nokereberg (350 metres at 5.7%) for the first time. At that point, there are still just over 100 kilometres remaining.

From there, the race moves into the local laps: two laps of 31.3 kilometres and one final lap of 37.8 kilometres. Those circuits include plenty of cobbled sectors where the race can be blown apart. And if that does not happen, there is still the uphill sprint on Waregemsestraat. The final kilometre rises at an average gradient of 4 percent, which produced an impressive sprint finish last year.

Weather
The riders should have little to complain about on Wednesday, as it looks set to be a lovely spring day. In Nokere, a clear blue sky and temperatures around 14 degrees Celsius are forecast. The wind will be light from the east, which means a headwind in the final kilometre.

Times
Start: 12:45 PM local time
Finish: around 5:21 PM local time

Jasper Philipsen also rode Nokere Koerse last year, but the Belgian from Alpecin-Premier Tech crashed. That had at least some impact on his participation in Milano-Sanremo, where he eventually finished 163rd. A year earlier, he had won La Primavera, after placing third in this Belgian classic just a few days beforehand. New year, new opportunity.

The strongest opposition is expected to come from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, in the shape of Jordi Meeus. The Belgian sprinter arrives in Nokere after victory in the Ename Samyn Classic and will line up against fast finishers such as Max Kanter (XDS Astana), Emilien Jeannière (TotalEnergies), Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Emirates-XRG) and Tim Torn Teutenberg (Lidl-Trek).

Also on the start line on Wednesday is Matteo Moschetti (Pinarello Q36.5), who has already come close to a win several times this season. From the second tier of contenders, Arvid de Kleijn (Tudor), Alberto Dainese (Soudal Quick-Step), Steffen De Schuyteneer (Lotto Intermarché), Stanislaw Aniolkowski (Cofidis), Erlend Blikra (Uno-X) and Paul Penhoët (Groupama-FDJ United) are all riders to watch.

Slightly less suited to a pure bunch sprint, but still possessing a very fast finish, Lukas Kubis (Unibet Rose Rockets) is another name to keep in mind after placing ninth last year. Riders such as António Morgado (UAE Emirates-XRG) and Pau Miquel (Bahrain Victorious) could also be dangerous if the race turns hard enough before the line.

Defending champion Nils Eekhoff, meanwhile, misses the race through injury. Picnic PostNL still has two fast cards to play, however, with Fabio Jakobsen and Casper van Uden both at the start.

Top favorites: Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Outsiders: António Morgado (UAE Emirates-XRG), Tim Torn Teutenberg (Lidl-Trek), Lukas Kubis (Unibet Rose Rockets) and Emilien Jeannière (TotalEnergies)
Long shots: Max Kanter (XDS Astana), Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Emirates-XRG), Matteo Moschetti (Pinarello Q36.5), Arvid de Kleijn (Tudor), Alberto Dainese (Soudal Quick-Step), Stanislaw Aniolkowski (Cofidis), Paul Penhoët (Groupama-FDJ United), Pau Miquel (Bahrain Victorious) and Casper van Uden (Picnic PostNL)

Cycling fans have several options to follow Nokere Koerse live on Wednesday. Sporza will broadcast the Belgian classic from 14:55 CET. In addition, viewers can tune in via Eurosport 1 and its streaming platform HBO Max. Online coverage begins at 15:00 CET, while the television broadcast switches over to Belgium after Milano-Torino, at around 16:00 CET.