Sep Vanmarcke appreciation thread

[Echoes]

Multilateral, Boomcie.

.. and more Vanmarcke fans on this forum ! (well or on some other forums, too, let's say)

 

[Hugo87]

Multilateral, Boomcie.

.. and more Vanmarcke fans on this forum ! (well or on some other forums, too, let's say)

I'm a fan too.

It's a classy rider and since I hate Cance, become even better for me after Roubaix last year.

 

[Gloin22]

I hope he gets a big win...

 

[Flamin]

Lol

 

[Hugo Koblet]

I really hope that Vanmarcke gets the best of Cancellara this time. As Dekker_tifosi said, if anyone can, it's Sep. He has been riding so inspiring this season and looks incredibly strong even trying to drop Fabian on Paterberg. And take a look at his results this year:

3rd in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
4th in Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne
5th in E3 Prijs Vlaanderen-Harelbeke
4th in Gent-Wevelgem
3rd in Ronde Van Vlaanderen

Top 5 in all five cobbled races this year. That's something. Go Sep!

 

[Netserk]

I really like his style, always trying to make his own luck.

Does anyone know what his targets will be after Roubaix? I guess he'll ride the Tour, but other than that?

 

[Christian]

I really like his style, always trying to make his own luck.

We are used to people just desperately trying to stay in Cancellara's wheel, or else ride defensively against him. This guy actually went for it and almost dropped him in the steepest part - very refreshing!

 

[manafana]

vanmarcke rode a great race well done to him, deserves that big win soon

 

[Cimber]

I would love to see him take PR this year. He has been so close. This year in RVV and last year in PR

 

[Volderke]

The only mistake was letting Cancellara pushing him to the front for the sprint. And that's experience.

This topic is only recently bumped.
I want to correct one misconception in this topic: Vanmarcke had 1 crash and 2 flats. But he also had a cracked high-rim carbon front wheel and he had to open up his front brake so he couldn't use his brake anymore in the finale. You can even see him opening the brake with an allen key in the race, but I won't search for that moment in a 3hr youtube movie.

This has probably influenced his tactics, in a way that it was more advantageous for him to keep the pace high and steady to the velodrome without thinking about any tactics that would have to make him pokering / braking / accelerating, but worse, once on the track, he could not avoid being pushed to the front by Cancellara. He HAD to take the front or he would have fallen in the curve before the final round.

You can see this on youtube: he tried to stay behind Cancellara using only his rear brake, but of course this was not enough to slow down so he decided to take the front:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=tUFwms7f4wg#t=237

you can hear this in his interview afterwards (around 2 minutes, in Dutch):
http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza/vide...ode_20130407?playlist=7.40455&video=1.1598077

So he had to go first in the last round because he didn't have braking power. If he did have the brake working, he would have started in second position, but I still think Cancellara had a little more dash anyway. He could have waited a little more in the front to start the sprint, but he was a little too confident with 150 mtrs to go.

 

[thehook]

The picture he posted on Twitter of him sleeping on the cobbles with his bike. Was one of the coolest pics I have seen on Twitter by any cyclist!
Big Thank You to Sep for giving me a good chuckle on a work day!

 

[Afrank]

Lol

That is potentially the greatest picture I have ever seen! I have a new favorite/rider I want to win for Paris-Roubaix. Go Vanmarcke! GO! He definitely deserves to win one of the big cobbled classics, and no cobbled classic would be more fitting to win then Roubaix.

 

[Jspear]

Lol

Ha ha! Making the cobbles his home in every way! Nice pic.

 

[movingtarget]

The picture he posted on Twitter of him sleeping on the cobbles with his bike. Was one of the coolest pics I have seen on Twitter by any cyclist!
Big Thank You to Sep for giving me a good chuckle on a work day!

Nice photo. I think it will be on again at PR. The Sep and Fabian show with a few others along for the ride. Would like to see Sep take the win.

 

[Echoes]

Great article on Sep today: http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/vanmarcke-im-ready-to-take-another-step


I especially treasured the line: "typically he eschews the received wisdom that racing in the Middle East is now a necessity in the preamble to the Classics."

 

[Kwibus]

Great article on Sep today: http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/vanmarcke-im-ready-to-take-another-step


I especially treasured the line: "typically he eschews the received wisdom that racing in the Middle East is now a necessity in the preamble to the Classics."

Likeable guy and a treat to have during the cobbled classics as he spices the race up.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

From that article:
17 of the 20 editions of Flanders and Roubaix in the past ten years have been won by Cancellara, Boonen or their teammates.

that's an impressive statistic!

 

[TANK91]

Think Vanmarke will dominate the cobbles from 2016 onwards, if he ever finds 2013 Roubaix form again.

 

[Flamin]

Think Vanmarke will dominate the cobbles from 2016 onwards, if he ever finds 2013 Roubaix form again.

As if he didn't have that kind of form this year?

 

[B_Ugli]

As if he didn't have that kind of form this year?

Vanmarcke is a class act - there is no doubt about that.

His weakness is that he doesn't read the races well and expends massive amounts of energy showboating to the crowds rather than holding it back and dispensing it in the finale or in that one decisive attack. He gets carried away.

To nail a monument he needs a decisive move at the right time.

 

[Echoes]

Sep pleased me even more than before, yesterday. This fighting spirit, this don't give up till it's over attitude.

He was only dropped in the higher percentages against riders who were much lighter than him (Vanthourenhout said it in the Sporza coverage) but condition wise he must be the fitter rider of them all, I think.

Can't believe he came back to 5" before the last climb. Bravo!

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

He's even stronger than last year. The only problem is he has no team. He has to hope for a good day from Wynants. But he'll have to do a lot alone.

 

[Anderis]

Belkin were awesome last year in Roubaix. Boom has left the team, in fact, but some other riders who rode a very good race then, like Tankink or Van Emden, are still there. Surely, they can't match teams like Etixx, but I don't think their strength on cobbles is below average of WT.

 

[Bushman]

He's even stronger than last year. The only problem is he has no team. He has to hope for a good day from Wynants. But he'll have to do a lot alone.

There will be other teams who will likely take responsibility, so if he can ride smartly and save his energy he might not suffer too much from it.

 

[Netserk]

He is strong as a bull and he certainly doesn't spare himself. I do fear that he will mostly just get good placings until he starts riding more cynically.