Sep Vanmarcke appreciation thread

[nayr497]

Yesterday was surprising. That gap was not easy to bridge, but I expected him to be up there when things went off.

 

[sir fly]

Unless his form is one straight downhill from Gent-Wevelgem, he still has an outside shot in Roubaix. You don't have to be the strongest there, and the more cobbles the better for Sep. Other teams and riders have to carry the weight of the race, so he could sit back, let others close gaps and try to gamble on the right move to be in.

Agreed.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks Paris - Roubaix terrain suits better to his turbo diesel engine than the Flanders melange.

 

[Echoes]

Unless his form is one straight downhill from Gent-Wevelgem, he still has an outside shot in Roubaix. You don't have to be the strongest there, and the more cobbles the better for Sep. Other teams and riders have to carry the weight of the race, so he could sit back, let others close gaps and try to gamble on the right move to be in.

Really?

But well, I agree it suits Sep better. It holds for Terpstra too, though.

Apparently, he really made a youth mistake last Sunday, much more than was out of shape. That's the positive aspect of it. There's room for improvement.

 

[Netserk]

Hmm, I don't see how Roubaix suits him better than Ronde. When he is at his best I think he is the strongest of all on the bergs, something that can't be said about the flat cobbles just yet.

 

[Flamin]

Unless his form is one straight downhill from Gent-Wevelgem, he still has an outside shot in Roubaix. You don't have to be the strongest there, and the more cobbles the better for Sep. Other teams and riders have to carry the weight of the race, so he could sit back, let others close gaps and try to gamble on the right move to be in.

Really?

But well, I agree it suits Sep better. It holds for Terpstra too, though.

Apparently, he really made a youth mistake last Sunday, much more than was out of shape. That's the positive aspect of it. There's room for improvement.

Yes, I mean that Roubaix usually is a bit more tactical, more open.

 

[Flamin]

Re:

Hmm, I don't see how Roubaix suits him better than Ronde. When he is at his best I think he is the strongest of all on the bergs, something that can't be said about the flat cobbles just yet.

Just look at how good he was on cobbles in 2011 already. He's a natural. It took him a few more years to adapt to Ronde.

And it depends.. which bergs do you mean?

 

[Netserk]

The 'normal' cobbled ones. Kwaremont is unusual in its length. Molenberg, Taaienberg, Paterberg etc.

 

[Flamin]

Re:

The 'normal' cobbled ones. Kwaremont is unusual in its length. Molenberg, Taaienberg, Paterberg etc.

Hard to tell because they're so short and the differences minimal, but Greg has been the boss on Paterberg the past 2 years, that's for sure.

 

[Netserk]

2 years? He couldn't drop the most unexplosive cobblestone rider in the bunch there and I very much doubt he'd have been the first over the top if he didn't already have an advantage over Canc and Vanmarcke before it. I also found Kristoff very impressive there last year. Unfortunately it was impossible to compare him against either of those this year as well.



Of the 'new' generation I think GVA, Kristoff and Sagan are more suited for Ronde, whilst Degenkolb, Terpstra and Stybar are better suited for Roubaix. Vanmarcke is a bit better suited for Ronde too imho, or at least more suited to the bergs than the flat cobbles, though Roubaix being more selective suits him greatly as well.

 

[Flamin]

Re:

2 years? He couldn't drop the most unexplosive cobblestone rider in the bunch there and I very much doubt he'd have been the first over the top if he didn't already have an advantage over Canc and Vanmarcke before it. I also found Kristoff very impressive there last year. Unfortunately it was impossible to compare him against either of those this year as well.

Ehm, he did drop Stijn, who was also sitting on his wheel for over 20k. And I remember that Greg still climbed Pater as fast as Canc-Sep, or max 1" slower.

Edit: true about Kristoff, although there were only images from him midway Pater (where he was on the front that moment) so we don't really know how much he got at the top.

Edit2: Just checked. Greg had the exact same time as Canc-Sep indeed.

 

[Netserk]

Re: Re:

2 years? He couldn't drop the most unexplosive cobblestone rider in the bunch there and I very much doubt he'd have been the first over the top if he didn't already have an advantage over Canc and Vanmarcke before it. I also found Kristoff very impressive there last year. Unfortunately it was impossible to compare him against either of those this year as well.

Ehm, he did drop Stijn, who was also sitting on his wheel for over 20k. And I remember that Greg still climbed Pater as fast as Canc-Sep, or max 1" slower.

If that is the case, my bad. I will have to rewatch it then.

 

[pablohidalgo7]

Vanmarcke is a beast on the bergs, but he is better in the flat cobbles. He don´t have to be at 100% to do well on the flat cobbles. I think that in paris roubaix 2013 or in le tour last year he wasn´t at his best shape and he was probably the best.

 

[Echoes]

Yes, I mean that Roubaix usually is a bit more tactical, more open.

But it's the opposite. In Roubaix the hardness of the cobbles automatically selects the strongest riders. In Flanders, there are so many turns and descents that the less endurant riders often have the chance to come back and placement in the peloton at the right time is much more crucial. Sep has learnt it at his expense.

 

[ILovecycling]

Re:

2 years?

Of the 'new' generation I think GVA, Kristoff and Sagan are more suited for Ronde, whilst Degenkolb, Terpstra and Stybar are better suited for Roubaix. Vanmarcke is a bit better suited for Ronde too imho, or at least more suited to the bergs than the flat cobbles, though Roubaix being more selective suits him greatly as well.

How did you figure this out netserk? Kristoff and VM better suited for RVV is nonsense imo(clearly),Stybar is suited for PR only emerges from results,not from his abilities.

 

[SafeBet]

Kristoff himself is cnovinced he's more suited for RVV.

But it's the opposite. In Roubaix the hardness of the cobbles automatically selects the strongest riders. In Flanders, there are so many turns and descents that the less endurant riders often have the chance to come back and placement in the peloton at the right time is much more crucial. Sep has learnt it at his expense.

Placement had little to do with Sep being dropped. He was not strong enough, that simple.

 

[Flamin]

Yes, I mean that Roubaix usually is a bit more tactical, more open.

But it's the opposite. In Roubaix the hardness of the cobbles automatically selects the strongest riders. In Flanders, there are so many turns and descents that the less endurant riders often have the chance to come back and placement in the peloton at the right time is much more crucial. Sep has learnt it at his expense.

True, and that's exactly the reason why de Ronde is a more controlled race. More domestiques are still present in the finale, thus the race is more likely to be decided near the end by the top guns.

Paris-Roubaix on the other hand is unpredictable, less controlled. Attacks from further out are more likely to succeed imo, that's what I meant by 'you don't have to be the strongest'.

That's my view. I don't know if it's a bit clear

 

[Cance > TheRest]

So. A generally disappointing spring campaign for Sep. Was it all due to bad luck or did he time his peak form a bit wrong? Nonetheless he didn't get the same great results as last year, and in the absence of Fabian, that might seem a little against the odds.

 

[SafeBet]

Peaked too early or didn't have a perfect prep.
Bad luck played a role in PR, but in GW and RVV he was simply not good enough to be with the best.

 

[trevim]

Very disappointing cobbles campaign for a big Vanmarcke fan like myself. I hope he wins big soon enough although he can only break his duck at least a year from now. I also hope he doesn''t become GvA II, time to get the wins going: the Tour cobbled stage may be a good target for the summer but also race like Tour of Belgium, Eneco.... Winning is the key, come on Sep

 

[Flamin]

Sep is already doing a recon of the Worlds route. He's riding California so he travelled a bit earlier to check the route and take some vacation. I'm curious about his feelings.

 

[trevim]

Re:

Sep is already doing a recon of the Worlds route. He's riding California so he travelled a bit earlier to check the route and take some vacation. I'm curious about his feelings.

Sep in stripes would be cool and he could definitely use it to rescue his season... I doubt the racing will suit him though, too easy for unless there are some crazy weather conditions. Still I'm looking forward (as always) to see the Belgians throwing it all against the wall with Tommeke, Gilbert, GvA and perhaps Vanmarcke, Benoot or Wellens; add Van Keirsbulck and some others and it's a crack of a team

 

[Netserk]

Surely he will be a dom for Boonen there?

 

[sir fly]

Re:

Sep is already doing a recon of the Worlds route. He's riding California so he travelled a bit earlier to check the route and take some vacation. I'm curious about his feelings.

Who's going to be Belgian captain intrigues me more.

 

[Flamin]

Re: Re:

Sep is already doing a recon of the Worlds route. He's riding California so he travelled a bit earlier to check the route and take some vacation. I'm curious about his feelings.

Sep in stripes would be cool and he could definitely use it to rescue his season... I doubt the racing will suit him though, too easy for unless there are some crazy weather conditions. Still I'm looking forward (as always) to see the Belgians throwing it all against the wall with Tommeke, Gilbert, GvA and perhaps Vanmarcke, Benoot or Wellens; add Van Keirsbulck and some others and it's a crack of a team

Chances are minimal but from what I heard about the route, there will likely never be one that suits him more.

 

[Flamin]

Re: Re:

Sep is already doing a recon of the Worlds route. He's riding California so he travelled a bit earlier to check the route and take some vacation. I'm curious about his feelings.

Who's going to be Belgian captain intrigues me more.

Multiple captains I guess.