Sep Vanmarcke finished second in Belgium’s Gent-Wevelgem today. Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s Belgian missed the first echelon in the beginning of the race, but fought back with his teammates to grab his spot in the leading group in the final of the WorldTour race. Only Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) was faster in the final kick.

“The race didn’t start well for me,” Sep Vanmarcke said. The wind played its role to force echelons and that didn’t turn out positively for Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s front man. “It broke after 65 kilometres of racing and I have to blame myself for not being in the first group. Jos van Emden brought me in good position just before, but I lost some positions again afterwards.”

Vanmarcke couldn’t afford to miss the move. He added, “I gave everything I had in that chase.”

It worked because the first two groups merged. “I felt that I was powerful today,” Vanmarcke continued. On the Baneberg, he attacked on his own. “That was a nice move, but I’m glad that I recovered before the Kemmelberg. That climb was tough. I reached the top just after Sagan and Cancellara, and had to take some risks in the turns on the downhill to bridge to them. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to get there anymore.”

Chase

Nico Verhoeven noted Vanmarcke’s mistake after 65 kilometres. “That chase took a lot of energy from him and it took a lot of time, as well,” the sports director said. “He almost wasn’t able to play a role in the race final at all. Think of how good he could’ve been if he was in front already from the beginning. It’s a pity that he wasted so much power there. It wasn’t a perfect race, but he showed that he is one of the best in these races.”