Strong Team dsm-firmenich PostNL ride sees Fabio Jakobsen sprint to 2nd at Nokere Koerse

After some strong teamwork throughout the day, Fabio Jakobsen sprinted to second place at Nokere Koerse with Pavel Bittner making it a double top ten for Team dsm-firmenich PostNL with a tenth place at the line.
Midweek Belgian racing returned for our Men’s program this week as they took on Nokere Koerse on Wednesday. Always an intriguing race, the day is often decided in a reduced bunch sprint on the Nokereberg but in the past groups have gone clear on the lap circuit to fight it out for the win. As a result, the team set out with the goal of protecting sprint finisher Jakobsen for the finale but also making sure they were present in any dangerous attacks. Getting through the day well, the race really came alive when the original breakaway was caught with 40 kilometres to go. Bittner and Nils Eekhoff rotated well together to be present in the multitude of counter attacks while the rest of the team kept Jakobsen safe. Despite the numerous attacks, the race all came back together in the finale after Eekhoff’s brilliant turn to help shut down late-attacker Wellens. Behind, Bittner then brought Jakobsen forward and dropped him off in a good while in the top five positions as they charged towards the line. Eventual winner Merlier got the jump on the group on the left side of the road, while Jakobsen was on the right, but the Dutch fast-man fought all the way to the line and overcame all other competitors apart from Merlier to take a strong second place on the day.
Reflecting on the race Jakobsen said: “It was a good race and a good final. The guys rode really well all day and it was nice to be up there with Nils and Pavel in the final; they were really strong and positioned me well for the finish. Tim went at a perfect moment and from then the win was gone. Of course I wanted to get that first win with the team but this is a good result in this field, so I’m happy with the second place. It’s a nice result and it’s good for morale and atmosphere in the team – it gives us something to build on.”
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL coach Roy Curvers added: “I think we rode an attentive race today, which was the plan to avoid ending up behind the facts. Through that we could keep Fabio fresh with some support for the deep final where the boys managed to get him in a great position to start the sprint from. Unfortunately, Merlier managed to come from behind with more speed but the way we were competitive for the win today makes us even more motivated for the next ones.”