Until Sunday's Maryland Cycling Classic, Sepp Vanmarcke, who once stood on the podium of the Classic, was left in the role of helper. Injuries and illnesses have hampered his plans for 2022, and the UCI's World Tour points system has forced the team to chase the results of the top 10 scorers.

But with his first win in three years and 200 points, Vanmarcke is now in that top 10 and will have a more liberal chance at a number of one-day races through the end of the season.

Israel Premier Tec is the newest WorldTour team and is a major stumbling block in the WorldTour relegation/promotion system, which takes into account the top 10 riders' results every year for three years. 2023 is the first year a team is relegated, and in the next three-year cycle only 18 Only teams are allowed in. Israel Premier Tech is stuck in 20th place.

So while winning a Pro Series race (worth 200 points) is no mean feat, and would have significantly closed the gap of more than 1,000 points to 18th-place Movistar, it was liberating for Vanmarcke in several ways. Before the race, he had said that his team would have to work for the likes of sprinter Giacomo Nizzolo in order to score points. After the race, a more jubilant Vanmarcke looked to a more ambitious future.

"Personally, of course I'm really happy. I was working to cover my breakaway, you know. We had a 25-man breakaway in the first 30 minutes. We were supposed to work for Nizzolo, so at that point I had some work to do, so I didn't go into the breakaway."

But with half of the race still to go, EF Education-Easy Post surged in to split the breakaway and cut the numbers in half.

"Eventually we were down to 12 and it was obvious we were going to get away. So I did the same pull as everyone else. So it was my chance to get back in the points. Even if I didn't win this race, I would still be back in front enough to get a shot at the final in the next race.

Since joining EF in 2019, when he last won the Bretagne Classic, Vanmarcke has not been the classic giant he used to be, suffering from the same pandemics as the rest of the field, and this year was particularly hard hit.

"It's been a long time since I won a race. A few years ago I was always at the top. And now (at age 34), as I get older, it's not so easy with all the strong young riders. So I'm very happy to finally win again

"On top of that, last winter was a pretty tough year with a lot of knee problems. In the spring I went from sick to sick and had to work hard to come back. During the summer, I was at a good level, but somehow it just didn't work out. I didn't have great results and it was pretty frustrating."

Leading up to the North American tour, Vanmarcke was in trouble and missed one of his key goals.

"Two weeks ago, I bruised my ribs in a race in Europe and couldn't start in the GP de Bretagne Plouay, which is an important race for me. So I was disappointed, but maybe the more rest I had was for today."

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"We are happy to get back to winning in this way and it gives us motivation for the last part of the season.

The last few weeks will be filled with one-day races that, thanks to the UCI scoring system, are disproportionately valuable compared to Grand Tour stage and GC results. While getting out of the relegation zone will be a big challenge, Vanmarcke sees the team continuing and him being with it regardless of the team's situation in 2023.

"It's not the kind of race anyone wants to be in. We have a lot of races to do and a lot of pressure on us.

"I was told that the team would continue next year, and sure enough, I don't want to get out of there. I mean, I signed a three-year contract with the team. Of course, everybody wants to stay on the World Tour. But even if I don't, I can still have a good program and do a lot of big races.

"I want to keep a good level," Vanmarcke said before the race, somewhat presciently, adding, "Maybe in the future my position will change. I like cycling, I like hard work, and if the team likes what I do, that's fine."

So watch for Vanmarcke to compete in the Grand Prix de Quebec and Montreal, the GP de Wallonie, and up to 12 one-day races through October. Now that he is a top 10 rider in Israel's premier tech, he will have more freedom to produce results.