Sep Vanmarcke has said that he won’t be moving to Etixx-Quick Step in 2017, after a prolonged saga linking the Belgian to the team.
Vanmarcke, who has just finished competing in the Tour de France with his current team LottoNL-Jumbo, was heavily touted as being a replacement for Tom Boonen in the Etixx line-up and leading their Classics campaign.
>>> Tom Boonen signs new Etixx-Quick Step contract; will retire after 2017 Paris-Roubaix
But the recent announcement of Boonen’s one-year renewal with the team looks to have been one of the factors in putting paid to the move, with Vanmarcke telling Sporza that contract length was also a sticking point.
“I can’t tell you where I’ll ride next season.” Vanmarcke said. “I’ve weighed up all the options.
“I will decide soon. There was a conversation with Team Quick Step, but nothing became concrete.
“It was an offer for one year, but I prefer a contract for a longer period. Team Quick Step is not my new team.”
Transfers can officially be announced by teams on August 1 according to UCI rules, and their shouldn’t be any shortage of takes for the 27-year-old.
Vanmarcke has shown his Classics worth with two fourth places and a runner-up finish at Paris-Roubaix in recent years, as well as two third places in the Tour of Flanders in 2014 and 2016.
