"Tim went at a perfect moment and from then the win was gone" - Fabio Jakobsen settles for second at Nokere Koerse

In a crazy and crash-marred finale at Nokere Koerse 2024, Fabio Jakobsen managed to grab his best result since moving to Team dsm-firmenich PostNL.

Not quite his first win, Jakobsen took a creditable second behind the king of Nokere Koerse and Jakobsen's former Soudal - Quick-Step teammate, Tim Merlier. “It was a good race and a good final," the Dutch sprint powerhouse reflects in a post-race conversation with his team's official website. "The guys rode really well all day at was nice to be up there with Nils and Pavel in the final; they were really strong and positioned me well for the finish."

In Merlier, Jakobsen has a formidable opponent and with the Belgian now a three-time winner of Nokere Koerse, he knew the exact moment to launch his final sprint, leaving Jakobsen and third placed finisher, Jasper Philipsen in the dust.

"Tim went at a perfect moment and from then the win was gone," Jakobsen admits. "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.”