Nokere Koerse, or NoKo as it's called by those pressed for time, is the "official" beginning of the classics season in Belgium—Het Volk/Nieuwsblad and KBK, disconnected from the other races as they are, apparently don't count.
This year, it was won by [SPOILERS FOLLOW] QuickStep's Gert Steegmans, who sussed out a late race separation forced by Verandas-Willems Accent's lead-out, and all but coasted to the line ahead of their sprinter Stephan van Dijk (who by the way, was once suspended for the lamest drug test evasion attempt in history, back in 2005).
Good news for Steegmans, who, while certianly not devoid of wins, has a shorter palmares than he might thanks to a contentious contract dispute and a few years in Tom Boonen's shadow—but great news for QuickStep, who failed to win a single classic all last spring.
