Vanmarcke signs for Cannondale-Drapac

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Cannondale-Drapac have re-signed Sep Vanmarcke from Lotto-JumboNL. Vanmarcke left the American team, then registered as Garmin-Barracuda, in 2012 and finished second in Paris-Roubaix the following season.

On Thursday, Cannondale team boss Jonathan Vaughters announced on Twitter that he had signed a rider capable of winning Roubaix but wouldn’t not elaborate. Less than 24-hours later, Vanmarcke re-joined the team.


“I’ve always kept a special feeling for the team, because I started my career in the WorldTour as part of the Slipstream organization,” Vanmarcke said in a statement.

“My contact with the team over the past years has always been warm and with respect for each other. Knowing my contract was expiring, I was not surprised that Jonathan Vaughters and Cannondale-Drapac showed interest in me. But what surprised me was their idea for the future.

“Cannondale-Drapac gives me the opportunity to help create a very strong classics team for the next two years and to implement my own ideas. I’m 28 years old, my strongest years are ahead of me and I want all the details to be in place in order to reach my goals. The potential in this team is huge, the shareholders and sponsors have the same goals as I have, there is already a good and experienced classics group, including riders as Sebastian Langeveld and youngster Dylan van Baarle.”

The 28-year-old Vanmarcke had been linked to a number of teams during the summer, with Etixx-Quickstep, Katusha and Lotto-Soudal all mentioned in the press. He denied that a move to Etixx would happen but it was clear this week, when Lars Boom re-signed for LottoNL-Jumbo and there was no mention of leading the line with Vanmarcke in the Classics, that the Belgian’s time at the squad was all but over.

Ken Vanmarcke, Sep Vanmarcke’s brother, will join Cannondale-Drapac as a sport director and member of the performance staff.