The Bretagne Classic will be held in Plouay on Sunday. In 2019, Sep Vanmarcke was still the best in the French one-day race. In recent months, however, the 35-year-old Anzegem resident had to look for a ‘new’ life after his cycling career came to an abrupt end. But look: from next season Vanmarcke can start working for Israel-Premier Tech, the team where he was still active as riders until two months ago. We spoke to Vanmarcke about the past period and the difficult farewell to cycling.
“Together with my victory in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, that victory in Plouay was the highlight of my career”, Vanmarcke looks back. “However, I was very unlucky in the beginning. The first 70 kilometers I probably had to change bikes seven times. My legs were completely cut off from all that returning and I didn’t really have much morale anymore. However, a teammate urged me to just try at the front. And behold: in the end I ended up in front together with Tiesj Benoot and Jack Haig and I was able to win solo. Even after a race with about 3,700 altimeters.”
Four years later, however, Vanmarcke’s world looks completely different. At the BK, the cobble stone specialist developed heart rhythm disorders, after which an MRI showed that Vanmarcke has scar tissue on the heart. From one day to the next, his professional career came to an abrupt end.
A question you’ve probably gotten countless times over the last few weeks: How are you, Sep?
“Pretty good now actually. Summer has been a rollercoaster. The verdict was a heavy blow, but immediately afterwards I was very combative and immediately wanted to take my new life into my hands. After a week or two, however, a dip followed. When you hear news like that, you are always combative the first week, I think. However, the second week we went on a trip and when we returned home, I was suddenly confronted with the reality that I still shouldn’t train and that I still had to be careful with physical exertion. At that time I was also still afraid of everything I did. I had a few bad days during that period. It actually felt like arranging a funeral. That is to say: I suddenly had to stop racing, which felt like a part of me that had died. Suddenly my cycling career was a memory. And while you are in full mourning, you have to arrange everything and go fishing to inform all authorities correctly. That was also the period in which I visited Wim Lybaert for Summer Evenings. That’s why I was so emotional in that episode. (laughs) Since August, however, I have found some kind of acceptance and things have been going better since then. I now try to focus very consciously on the fun things.”
As?
“You ask something like that. Many of the fun things I wanted to do after my career have now become impossible: a triathlon, a marathon, climbing Mont Blanc… I’m not allowed to do any of that anymore. I now have to look for more relaxed things. For example, I have already informed myself about bikepacking or paragliding. I recently rented a campervan with my wife and we went wild camping. Very nice. If I can now also find a new job, hopefully something in the race, it will be even better, because then I also have a rhythm in my life. After all, I’m at home now and that’s great, but it’s not what I’m good at. (laughs) I do have things to do, but because nothing really has to, you get less out of your day.”
“I have crawled through the eye of the needle three times during my career. After that diagnosis, I had no doubts.”
However, the children are at home. It must be nice for them to have daddy home for the whole holiday.
“I hope so. (laughs) For me it’s double. On the one hand they ensure that my day is well filled, but on the other hand it is more difficult to find peace if I have a bad day or a lesser moment. In recent years, however, I noticed that they were well aware that I was away all the time, so it’s nice that we can do a lot together now. They have already benefited much more from me this summer than before. Also because I used to be exhausted when I came home from training, while now I have the energy to play and be busy with them a lot more.”
They realized that you were often away, but do they also realize why you are home so often now?
“At first I thought they didn’t really realize what was wrong, but in the meantime I’ve noticed that they do realize it, but just deal with it in a childish way. For example, the youngest, who is four years old, said last week when we went to watch my brother’s triathlon: Dad, I want to race too. But if I also have pain in my heart, should I also stop? However, my wife and I hadn’t talked about my heart in a while. You notice that the children do indeed realize what happened, but simply make certain links in their own way. I have to admit: it was also a question that cut in for a while.”
“As a rider, I wanted to avoid being nothing more than just a driver, but in recent weeks I have been overwhelmed by questions such as: what now? Who am I? What do I suggest?” © JOKE COUVREUR
In ‘Summer Evenings’ you also talked about your search for a new identity.
“That’s right. My life has always revolved around the course, ever since I was little. Now that came to an abrupt end. That is a big difference with when you decide to stop yourself. Then you know that enough is enough and it’s time for something else. For me it was completely different. I had two and a half years left on my contract, so I was going to continue for a while, but from one day to the next that was swept away from under my feet. Of course you still have your existence as a person, as a father, as a husband, but what everything revolved around – also within our family – suddenly disappeared. As a rider, I wanted to avoid being nothing more than just a driver, but in that period I was still attacked by questions such as: what now? Who am I? What do I suggest?”
Have you ever hesitated for even a second to go ahead or at least get a second opinion?
“Not a second. I want to continue with my family. I want to see my children grow up. I’ve been through the eye of the needle three times during my career. The first time in 2011, when I fell into a ravine, the second time in 2018 when I fell just short of a bridge, and the third time two months ago when they discovered the scar tissue on the MRI .”
“You know, I was unlucky. Bad luck that a flu or corona just hit my heart. And then you can curl up in a corner and wonder why me? or you can do as my parents always say: go ahead and carry on. I want to do the latter. Just because I can also say that I just got very lucky that they discovered that scar tissue very accidentally on that MRI. Who knows what else would have happened.”
“It sounds stupid, but actually I’m like a little kid who still has to learn everything”
“Recently I received a letter from a father and a mother. Their son was a cycling tourist, born on the exact same day as me and a father just like me. He collapsed and died during a bike ride. Afterwards it turned out that he had scar tissue on his heart. When you read that, you can’t help but think: I was lucky. Because if I don’t do that MRI, I might also be lying somewhere in the grass side within two or three years. So yes: it is very unfortunate that I had to stop, but the positive thing is that I will hopefully be able to enjoy my family for a long time to come. I wouldn’t necessarily say that my outlook on life has changed, but I do want to start enjoying the beautiful and fun things in life more consciously and not put off the fun things until it’s too late, because you never know how long you will still be here.”
Does it ease the pain that you were able to close your career after a strong spring?
“Sure. If I had to stop after last spring, which was a really dramatic spring, I should have stopped with a really bad feeling. Now I was able to finish with a podium in Gent-Wevelgem and I also rode well at the front in other races. That was satisfying, because I was back where you could expect me. The results may not have been the same as before, but that was simply because the general level has risen so much. Thanks to that podium in one of the biggest one-day races of the year, I was able to retire as a good driver. In 2010 I achieved my first podium place there in my first year and now I also achieved my last podium place there in my last year. That also makes it symbolic.”
Vanmarcke won the 2019 Bretagne Classic in Plouay. Together with his victory in the Omloop, it was one of the highlights of his career. (photo Getty) © Luc Claessen Getty Images
“I didn’t win very often in my career, but I did finish second, third or fourth very often. I was often among the better, but I couldn’t win. I used to be disappointed about that. Also because I was often criticized for that and because I got the sticker of bad luck, but when I now look back at my palmares, I think: wow, well done. After all, not many riders can match my palmares, even though I wasn’t an ultratopper myself. And I am very proud of that. I wouldn’t trade my list of close honors for a win.”
How do you view the course now?
“I miss the race, especially if it’s races in which I could participate. I still feel that tension and drive. That shows me every time that I really want to be in that race. I hope to find a job in cycling, preferably as a team leader. (And so it happened: a few days after this interview it became known that Vanmarcke will be sports director at Israel-Premier Tech from next season, ed.) Although being an analyst or co-commentator also seems very cool to me. I don’t want to be too tied to one thing. I would like to have the space to explore things outside cycling, because I have lived with blinkers for so long because I wanted to get the most out of my career. Now it’s time to start exploring. How to make my own pizza for example. This summer I also bought a better barbecue. I already had a very simple thing to put a sausage or a piece of chicken on, but now I’ve bought a device to really learn how to barbecue It sounds stupid, but actually I’m just a little kid who still has to learn everything .”
“It sounds stupid, but actually I’m like a little kid who still has to learn everything”
How do you manage to move away from monastic existence?
“In terms of food, it will partly remain in it, I no longer have to be sharp and I have already gained a few kilos, but I do not want to put on too much weight now. Although that doesn’t stop me from eating chips when there are on the table or eating an extra piece of cake. As far as alcohol is concerned, it will always be limited. Now when we go out to eat somewhere, I order a different aperitif each time to get to know them all. Not that a driver doesn’t know that, but I’ve never opened up to that. My favorite so far is cuba libre, although I didn’t even know what that was at first. I also like to drink sweet things like amaretto and baileys. There are riders who want to stay razor sharp after their career, but that is not necessary for me. In fact, I don’t shave my legs anymore. If I can’t cycle fast anymore, I won’t shave off my leg hair either!” (laughs)
What can we wish you for the future?
“A long and happy life with my wife and my children. That’s the main thing. And for the rest I don’t really know yet. I really still have to find my way and discover which direction I want to go with my life, especially next to the race. It is still too early to express new goals or wishes, because my new life has only just begun. So let me rediscover myself first and then we will see.”
