Sep Vanmarcke made use of his great classics skills to win a very windy stage 3 of the Tour of Alberta. Being up against Ramunas Navarduaskas and Leigh Howard, the Belgian knew that positioning for the final turn was crucial and that's where he made the difference against his faster rivals.

Sep Vanmarcke of the Belkin Pro Cycling TEAM powered to victory on Friday, taking a three-up sprint to the finish line at Edmonton-Garrison airfield to win the 157.9km third stage race of the 2014 Tour of Alberta, Canada.

The Belgian from Kortrijk, 31, easily defeated breakaway companions Ramunas Navardauskas (Garmin-Sharp) and Leigh Howard of Orica-GreenEdge.
 

“I knew the last 500 meters were really tricky, and that Howard was the fastest,” said Vanmarcke, a classics specialist who narrowly missed winning Paris-Roubaix last year. “I wanted to be second in the last corner — it was tricky, with gravel — and I was ready to go. Then I gave it my all. I really wanted to win a stage here.

"I knew it was a really tricky last 500 meters. Everybody knew that. I wanted to be in second position on those last corners. It would have been perfect if I could start sprinting just before the last corner, and I did. I went full in the last corner, the maximum just not to crash. That was my biggest advantage. I made some meters on Ramunas, and he didn't get back anymore. That last corner was I think only 170 meters to the finish, and then I just needed to be on the front."

Belkin’s Dutchman Nick van der Lijke placed 9th just seconds later in a lead group of chasers that contained the race leader, Dutchman Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Shimano), who maintained the gold-and-white jersey as leader of the race.
 

Windy conditions split the field with 56 kilometers remaining, a group of 25 riders emerging off the front, marked by Van der Lijke and Vanmarcke.

“Luckily, I made it, with Nicky,” Vanmarcke explained. “And we didn’t have to work knowing our teammates were behind. So, I could sit back and wait for the final.”

Meanwhile, the Belkin Pro Cycling TEAM led the chase aiming to bring sprinter Theo Bos, who placed a close second on Thursday, to the front for another shot at victory if Vanmarcke and Van der Lijke were caught. When the catch didn’t happen, Vanmarcke attacked with 9km to go to form the winning trio.

“It was a tough day today, a lot of wind. With two in the front group, Sep finished it off brilliantly,” said Belkin’s Sports Director Michiel Elijzen. “A good win. And big compliments to Nick.”
 

The 2014 Tour of Alberta continues Saturday with a rough-and-tumble, 163.5km fourth stage from Edmonton to Broadmoor Lake Park, out in the wide-open prairie of Alberta’s Strathcona County. The wandering course includes six sections of “Canadian Pavé” and other challenges on “dust-controlled” roads. 

“Tomorrow, hopefully we can win again, if not in a breakaway then in a sprint with Theo,” Elijzen said. The six-day stage race, ranked 2.1 by the UCI, concludes Sunday in Edmonton.