Marco Marcato (Vacansoleil-DCM) mixed it up with the sprinters on Sunday in Gent-Wevelgem, eventually coming across the line in seventh place, and the success has Italian excited about the capabilities of his surging team in the Ronde Van Vlaanderen next weekend.
With time to review it, most consider the Sunday’s Gent-Wevelgem finale to be rather hectic. In the final hundred meters, Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar) collided with Matteo Tossato (Saxo Bank), taking out Greg Van Avermaet in the process.
Just ahead of the Rojas crash, riders were bunched along the barriers on the right side of the road, at one point pinning in Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky Procycling), Matt Goss (GreenEdge), Fabian Cancellara (Radioshack-Nissan) and Giovanni Visconti (Movistar).
Though Marcato didn’t exactly deviate from his line, Boasson Hagen struck out at him to his left, with Goss frustrated at both.
Boasson Hagen gave his take on the Sky Procycling website.
“I didn’t want to crash so I had to tell the guy who tried to go through me that it wasn’t possible,” he said. It is not completely clear if Boasson Hagen spoke of Marcato, but in his comments after the race, the Italian was pleased to come out of the chaotic sprint safe and sound.
“It was a hectic sprint and I almost got trapped,” Marcato stated. “I took many risks because I wanted to get the result. I’m lucky that I was able to stay on the bike and I am happy with seventh place.”
After a string of frustrating runner-up finishes in 2011, Marcato opened his account early in 2012, taking stage four of Etoile de Bessèges. After grabbing sixth in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Marcato continued to build form in Tirreno-Adriatico to prepare for his spring Classics campaign.
He was 26th in Milan-Sanremo and 18th in the E3 Prijs Harelbeke. Capable of riding a cobbled or hilly Classic, Marcato is pleased with where he’s at with Flanders and Paris-Roubaix approaching.
“I get better every race after returning from Tirreno-Adriatico,” he continued. “I am therefore confident that I am in good shape for future Classics.”
After the successes of his Vacansoleil-DCM team so far this season, which has seen a number of breakthrough performances, Marcato is excited to see what the major one-day races bring.
“I’m going to rest and prepare well for the Tour of Flanders,” he added. “We have a team that can surprise with men like Devolder, Leukemans, Westra, Boeckmans, and myself.”