Sep Vanmarcke planning "to be good from the Omloop to Paris-Roubaix" as he eyes successful spring

Israel - Premier Tech's experienced, Classics specialist, Sep Vanmarcke hasn't offered up much so far this season but could a quiet opening month all be part of the plan as the Belgian looks to come good in the next few weeks.

“I don't really have one peak planned or anything this spring. I can no longer afford that because the results were somewhat lacking in the past year," Vanmarcke tells Het Nieuwsblad. “Last year I performed almost nothing due to all kinds of illnesses. That's why I'm now mainly focusing on reaching a good level that I think I can ride finals with. In the past I have always been concerned with thinking about the course of events and going over possible scenarios, but I am going to let go of that this year.”

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A winner at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad all the way back in 2012 when he edged out Tom Boonen and Juan Antonio Flecha. Eleven years on, Vanmarcke is confident he can repeat his success if he gets the chance. “In general, my form is quite ok, I may still miss some specific training sessions on explosiveness, but I can still compensate for that by sprinting up the slopes later.”

"I want to be good from Omloop to Roubaix,” Vanmarcke says. “It opens perspectives for everyone that Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel will skip the Omloop this year. At the same time, this also means that their teams will race more freely and openly.”