Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM) wins for a second time at Nokere Koerse voor Dames (Image credit: Getty Images)
Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) won the 2023 edition of Nokere Koerse voor Dames just days after her brother Seppe died unexpectedly. The Belgian stormed away on the Lange Aststraat climb with 12km to go and never looked back. Her teammate Lorena Wiebes led the peloton home 28 seconds later ahead of Marta Bastianelli.
The fourth edition of the women's Danilith Nokere Koerse covers 129.1 kilometres across a course with 15km of cobblestones, six of nine climbs on the cobbles. Like last year, the women’s route will hold a captivating finish on the Nokereberg climb.
The 2023 course is 129.1 kilometres between the start in Deinze and the finish in Nokere, only 3km longer than last year. Racing begins at Petegem aan de Leie tand heads to Kruishoutem and climbs the Lange Ast for the first time. Then a southern loop heads through Oudenaarde to the cobblestones of the Varent and the Tiegemberg - Holstraat combo before the 7.6% climb of the Petegemberg.
The final 56km cover two local laps in Nokere, which includes a series of cobblestoned sectors that lead to the Nokereberg, which became the new finish line last year. While the women made three passes up the classic climb last year, there are two ascents in 2023.
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Danilith Nokere Koerse Women facts
Date: March 15, 2023
Location: Belgium
Category: 1.Pro
Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM) surged away from a small group of chasers to take the victory in 2022, adding a second win in the one-day race from 2019. Strade Bianche winner Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) finished second, just ahead of Marta Bastianelli (UAE Team ADQ).
The only other winner of the young women's Classic was Amy Pieters (Team SD Worx) in 2021. The race was not held in 2020 due to the global pandemic.
Organisers of the Belgian race tripled the women’s prize purse to equal the earnings provided to the men’s race. Both races take place on the same day with similar routes, and for the first time in 2022, both races offered live broadcasts, rather than just a highlights package for the women.
