Sep Vanmarcke’s search for a first major Classics win goes on, after mechanical misfortune struck all too often during the last fortnight.

It seemed every time the Dutchman put in a decisive dig, he was forced to stop to get his bike corrected – losing all of his momentum.

A big driving of the pace at E3 Harelbeke quickly turned to frustration as he suffered with his pedals and ultimately missed Geraint Thomas’ decisive attack – despite going on to finish fifth.

And that result proved to be as good as it got for Vanmarcke too – with more mechanical misfortune, a puncture just after attacking which saw him momentarily caught behind the front group typifying his troubles.

He buried himself to get back on, and ultimately finished 11^th, but it was another case of what might have been.

With Fabian Cancellara and Tom Boonen out, this was a big campaign for the other Classics contenders but Vanmarcke, Sagan and Greg van Avermaet were just three big contenders who failed to capitalise.

Van Avermaet’s third-place finishes at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix show he is still very much a big-name contender but in a campaign which saw the likes of Kristoff, Degenkolb and Thomas take big steps forward it was – unfortunately – a step in the opposite direction for Vanmarcke.

LottoNL-Jumbo are still yet to record a victory, since the Dutch lottery saved them from extinction by replacing Belkin as headline sponsors.

In a year in which the former Rabobank team had so much to prove, it has been a season of disappointment so far.