Young Belgian was impressive on Saturday, but there was no chance against Cancellara
On Saturday at the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen, the Garmin-Cervelo team was once again well-represented and rode well throughout the day in a critical classic, and once again, they came up empty.
In the final move of fifteen, Garmin had two proven cobbled aces: Heinrich Haussler and Sep Vanmarcke. Both have stood on major podiums throughout the spring classics, including Flanders, the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, and Gent-Wevelgem.
Garmin-Cervelo’s young Belgian talent, Sep Vanmarcke rocketed onto the scene last year at Gent-Wevelgem en route to a second place on the day behind only HTC-Columbia’s Bernhard Eisel. On Saturday, he confirmed once again that he is a major rider for the future.
Vanmarcke was part of the front group for most of the race. With 70 kilometers remaining, he was at the head of the conflict along with seven others. As the race kicked into finale mode, the gap came down, and it was time for Vanmarcke to show his hand up front.
“I rode my own pace up the [penultimate cobbled climb of the] Paterberg. When I got to the top, I was suddenly alone, so I just kept going,” said the native of Kortrijk to Het Laatste Nieuws.
Vanmarcke then put on a display of defiance alone, pushing out his gap to the half minute mark, as the race began to take its final shape behind him. Vanmarcke acquiesced to the steamroller coming up from behind on the Cote de Trieu.
“When the Cancellara train came, I knew it was enough,” admits the 22 year old.
Following such a big effort, Vanmarcke could have been forgiven for easing off the throttle, but he was just getting started.
“I tried to be of some assistance to Heinrich Haussler, but there was not much to be done against the acceleration of Cancellara today.”
The young rider was attached to countless moves that went in the finale, but when the move that defined the day went, like everyone else, he was powerless, left only to think of superlatives at the end of the day.
“How would I describe his performance in one word? Ridiculous.”
Vanmarcke, Haussler, Hushovd, Klier, Van Summeren, and the rest of the Garmin-Cervelo classics superteam (as well as the rest of the cycling world) have to wonder: what can be done to stop Fabian Cancellara?