In the circumstances, it was a third-place finish that felt like a victory. As if to underline the fact, Sep Vanmarcke (Israel Premier Tech) punched the air in celebration when he crossed the finish line at the end of a rain-soaked Gent-Wevelgem. He has had better results in this part of the world, but few as reassuring.
Almost two minutes had passed since Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte had rolled home arm in arm, but the Jumbo-Visma pair had already reduced this edition of Gent-Wevelgem to a strictly inhouse affair when they forged clear on the Kemmelberg with 55km remaining.
