Posted on 09/04/22
| News Source: Cycling News
Sep Vanmarcke (Israel-Premier Tech) won the inaugural Maryland Cycling Classic in Baltimore on Sunday. The Belgian one-day specialist claimed his first win in three years from a five-man breakaway, out-sprinting Nickolas Zukowsky (Human Powered Health) and Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost).
Councilman Yitzy Schleifer was on hand and said:"It is so wonderful for our city to host such a popular event and an Israel-Premier Tech victory added to the excitement."
Toms Skujiņš (Trek-Segafredo) finished off the podium while Andrea Piccolo (EF Education-EasyPost), who reconnected with the breakaway in the final 2.4km was fifth. Piccolo and Powless tried attacking several times on the run-in to the finish but weren't successful in opening a gap.
Piccolo then moved into a lead-out role for Powless and picked up his pace for a sprint inside 800 metres. Vanmarcke made his winning move with 300 metres to go, launching off Piccolo's efforts, and although he was nearly caught on the line by a charging Zukowsky, he held on for the victory.
Between the mix of four WorldTour teams, two ProTeams and 10 Continental squads, all eyes were on the major teams to make the race, but few expected the winning move would be decided in the first 20 kilometres.
Vanmarcke was part of a 25-rider move that formed on the run-out from Sparks through unexpectedly arduous terrain. Teams like Trek-Segafredo, EF-EasyPost and Israel-Premier Tech set out to make the race hard, but it turned out to be such a demanding race that more than half of the peloton was pulled in the final circuits.