Sep Vanmarcke instigated the main splits of the day in the Het Nieuwsblad 2012, survived the many crashes on the slippy roads, rode strongly in the breaks and the final winning move, foxed and feigned heavy legs beautifully in the last couple of kilometres and finished the day with a fine accelerating power-sprint win over Tom Boonen and Juan Antonio Flecha.
As team manager Jonathan Vaughters tweeted;
“Man that showed some balls, taking on Boonen in a straight sprint like that.”
Hailing from Waregem in the region, Vanmarcke put his local knowledge to use by hammering the bergs and cobbled sections at just the right moment, covering Boonen’s attack with a little under 60km left to go, up the: Taaienberg which created the decisive split, then launching his own attack on the Molenberg, with 30km remaining. Vanmarcke had been riding this climb in training in the big ring, and knew that if he arrived at the foot of the climb near the front and got an: unobstructed: run, he could do the same in the race. He followed this up with a further acceleration on the Lange Munte which came shortly afterwards, when only Boonen and Flecha could cover.
Some observers felt that Boonen lost the sprint by mis-timing it, but as Vanmarcke himself stated later in the press conference;
“He [Boonen] went over Flecha and so did I. Then I waited for the chicane that hindered Flecha last year to get more space. Boonen said he lost speed but I passed him when he was still at full speed. I had a super day and on a super day I have a decent sprint.”
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2012 Result
Full Result
2 Tom Boonen (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
3 Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Sky Procycling
4 Heinrich Haussler (Aus) Garmin-Barracuda 0:00:25
5 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team
6 Marco Marcato (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
7 Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
8 Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) Fdj-Big Mat
9 Alexandre Pichot (Fra) Team Europcar
10 Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Accent Jobs – Willems Veranda’s
11 John Degenkolb (Ger) Project 1t4i
12 Luca Paolini (Ita) Katusha Team
13 Maarten Wynants (Bel) Rabobank Cycling Team
14 Kristof Goddaert (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale
15 Bobbie Traksel (Ned) Landbouwkrediet
16 Sébastien Turgot (Fra) Team Europcar
17 Leif Hoste (Bel) Accent Jobs – Willems Veranda’s
18 Oscar Gatto (Ita) Farnese Vini – Selle Italia
19 Jelle Wallays (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen – Mercator
20 Frédéric Amorison (Bel) Landbouwkrediet
21 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
22 Davy Commeyne (Bel) Landbouwkrediet
23 Bernard Eisel (Aut) Sky Procycling
24 Mathew Hayman (Aus) Sky Procycling
25 Laurens De Vreese (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen – Mercator
26 Ian Stannard (GBr) Sky Procycling
27 Christian Knees (Ger) Sky Procycling
28 Dominique Rollin (Can) Fdj-Big Mat
29 Thor Hushovd (Nor) BMC Racing Team
30 Matti Breschel (Den) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:00:36
31 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) BMC Racing Team 0:00:41
32 Koen De Kort (Ned) Project 1t4i
33 Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 0:00:51
34 Dries Devenyns (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
35 Andreas Klier (Ger) Garmin-Barracuda 0:00:54
36 Bram Tankink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:00:59
37 Marcus Burghardt (Ger) BMC Racing Team 0:01:05
38 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) BMC Racing Team 0:01:32
39 Aleksejs Saramotins (Lat) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:05:22
40 Kevin Hulsmans (Bel) Farnese Vini – Selle Italia
41 Laszlo Bodrogi (Fra) Team Type 1-Sanofi 0:05:30
42 Ramon Sinkeldam (Ned) Project 1t4i
43 Mirko Selvaggi (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
44 Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC Racing Team
45 Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor) Team Type 1-Sanofi
46 Vicente Reynes Mimo (Spa) Lotto Belisol Team
47 Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
48 Maxime Vantomme (Bel) Katusha Team
49 Sébastien Hinault (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
50 Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Lotto Belisol Team
51 Pieter Vanspeybrouck (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen – Mercator
52 Romain Lemarchand (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
53 Johan Le Bon (Fra) Bretagne – Schuller
54 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
55 James Vanlandschoot (Bel) Accent Jobs – Willems Veranda’s
56 Tomas Vaitkus (Ltu) Greenedge Cycling Team
57 Renaud Dion (Fra) Bretagne – Schuller
58 Bjorn Leukemans (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
59 Jens Keukeleire (Bel) Greenedge Cycling Team
60 Arnaud Gerard (Fra) Fdj-Big Mat
61 Vincent Jerome (Fra) Team Europcar
62 Steve Houanard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
63 Anthony Geslin (Fra) Fdj-Big Mat
64 Angelo Tulik (Fra) Team Europcar
65 Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
66 Frederik Willems (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
67 Manuel Quinziato (Ita) BMC Racing Team
68 Mickael Delage (Fra) Fdj-Big Mat
69 Ole Gabriel Rasch (Nor) Fdj-Big Mat
70 Sven Vandousselaere (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen – Mercator
71 Bert De Waele (Bel) Landbouwkrediet
72 Koen Barbe (Bel) Landbouwkrediet
73 Gert Steegmans (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
74 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar
75 Jeremy Hunt (GBr) Sky Procycling
76 Christopher Sutton (Aus) Sky Procycling
77 Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
78 Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
79 William Bonnet (Fra) Fdj-Big Mat
80 Stijn Neirynck (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen – Mercator
81 David Veilleux (Can) Team Europcar 0:07:45
82 Edwig Cammaerts (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
83 Markus Eichler (Ger) Team Netapp
84 Evert Verbist (Bel) Accent Jobs – Willems Veranda’s
85 Rob Goris (Bel) Accent Jobs – Willems Veranda’s
86 Preben Van Hecke (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen – Mercator
87 Frederik Veuchelen (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
88 Romain Zingle (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
89 Aliaksandr Kuschynski (Blr) Katusha Team
90 Jack Bauer (NZl) Garmin-Barracuda
91 Baden Cooke (Aus) Greenedge Cycling Team
92 Dirk Bellemakers (Ned) Landbouwkrediet
93 Andreas Schillinger (Ger) Team Netapp
94 Guillaume Boivin (Can) Spidertech Powered By C10
95 Jérôme Baugnies (Bel) Team Netapp
96 Michael Schär (Swi) BMC Racing Team
97 Martin Elmiger (Swi) AG2R La Mondiale
98 Paul Martens (Ger) Rabobank Cycling Team
99 Maxim Belkov (Rus) Katusha Team
100 Pier Paolo De Negri (Ita) Farnese Vini – Selle Italia
101 Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha Team
102 Marco Haller (Aut) Katusha Team
103 Mathieu Halleguen (Fra) Bretagne – Schuller
104 Florian Vachon (Fra) Bretagne – Schuller
105 Jean-Lou Paiani (Fra) Saur – Sojasun
106 Manuel Belletti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
107 Lars Boom (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
108 Martijn Maaskant (Ned) Garmin-Barracuda
109 Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Garmin-Barracuda
110 Nico Sijmens (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
111 Egidijus Juodvalkis (Ltu) Landbouwkrediet
112 Carlos Barredo Llamazales (Spa) Rabobank Cycling Team
113 Kevyn Ista (Bel) Accent Jobs – Willems Veranda’s 0:12:44
114 Arnoud Van Groen (Ned) Accent Jobs – Willems Veranda’s
115 Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Team Type 1-Sanofi
116 David Boucher (Fra) Fdj-Big Mat
117 Leonardo Giordani (Ita) Farnese Vini – Selle Italia
118 Timon Seubert (Ger) Team Netapp
119 Christophe Laborie (Fra) Saur – Sojasun
120 Sander Cordeel (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
121 Andy Cappelle (Bel) Accent Jobs – Willems Veranda’s
