Sep Vanmarcke is back in the win column after a three-year wait to win the inaugural edition of the Maryland Cycling Classic. Fellow Belgian and teammate, Jenthe Biermans gives IPT a double win claiming the sprint jersey.
Israel-Premier Tech is fighting in the WorldTour relegation/promotion system that takes into account results by the top 10 riders each year for three years. 2023 will be the first year a team will be relegated, with only 18 teams allowed in for the next three-year cycle. IPT has been stuck in 20th place and with more wins including Vanmarcke's 200 points, a top-18 is no small feat. The Belgian will next ride the Grand Prix de Québec and Montréal, GP de Wallonie and a dozen more one-day races through October. And, now that he is IPT's top-ten scoring riders, he can continue his success.
"I'm feeling relieved. It has been a long time since I won a race as I was sick and injured and this win puts me back on track. It was hard to get back to a good level in the last few months and two weeks ago, I had bruised ribs so I had to take some time off and miss a few key races. And now with getting older (34) it's not that easy any more with all the stronger young riders. This is a nice way to get back.
We were told that next year, the team will continue. I signed for three years with the team. Of course, everybody hopes to stay in the WorldTour. But if it's not, then we can still have a nice programme, we will still do many big races, and I will still focus on the same."
"It was all-out, and I was actually cramping a bit. I had almost nothing left so I thought I better do the bike throw early, then do another pedal stroke and you can see how close it is. It's only just, but it's enough."
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