Who?

Flandrien, former U23 rider, brother of Sep Vanmarcke. A great guy with an endless motivation!

What about him?

As a long-time SEG Cycling client, Sep Vanmarcke is really known in our organisation and that goes for his brother Ken as well. Ken has always been a unique force behind Sep’s career, as an advisor, trainer, coach, strategist. Ken was an unknown coaching talent, without realising it himself. As a postman, he had to wake up every morning at 5:00, so he could join brother Sep for his training in the afternoon. That is pure work ethic. Ken deserved the chance to prove himself and, at the end of 2015, the right moment for that came. With his family’s support, he took the risk and worked to develop himself into a full-time cycling trainer/DS. We gave him the opportunity to start his career. He is currently working at Team EF Education First for a number of years now. 

How did he perform?

Great! Ken did specific race recons, coached riders as DS, trained them individually and especially developed from an insecure rookie coach to a self-confident trainer/coach by the end of the season. It was fantastic to see. The biggest highlight was the way he prepared Paris-Roubaix U23 – his speciality. 

What was next after the Academy?

When his brother Sep was heading to Cannondale-Drapac for a new adventure, there was the need for new classic supporting staff at the American WorldTour team. It seemed logic to propose Ken for that new challenge. We knew he was ready and so we could advise them to take him on board alongside his brother – a dream path for Ken. In just one year he went from working as a postman to becoming a coach at a WorldTour team and we are proud of having contributed to that.