In the selection, Lampaert and Merlier have the company of Ayco Bastiaens, Bert van Lerberghe, Warre Vangheluwe, Jordi Warlop and the American Luke Lamperti. After some ailments, the latter only came to Nokere Koerse for the first time in competition and immediately took a third place in Nokere. Last Friday he did second place in the Bredene-Koksijde Classic even better.
“We start with a very good team and have faith in our opportunities to compete for the victory,” says sports director Iljo Keisse. “The wind can play a determining role in the polder plain, but at the moment the weather forecasts show that we will get a fairly quiet day. That makes the ideal for a mass sprint. There are many strong fast men at the start, but we are looking forward to this challenge.”