Tom Boonen showed that he is on form for a promising World Championships after sprinting to victory at the Brussels Cycling Classic on Saturday. Boonen said he has confidence in his sprint, as does the Etixx-QuickStep team management, who showed their faith in the Belgian by giving him the protected sprinter’s role in Brussels, over their star sprinter Marcel Kittel.
“I’m very proud of the victory today,” Boonen said to the press at the finish line in Brussels. “Not only did I beat a few fast guys, but there was also a discussion last night about who was going to do the sprint and I asked for the opportunity to show that I had good condition.”
In the team meeting the night before the Brussels Cycling Classic, Boonen asked to be the day's protected sprinter, despite Kittel being on the roster, and they put their trust in Boonen to deliver the victory.
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“If you ask that, and you can deliver, then it’s always double the reason to be happy,” said Boonen, who didn’t shy away from the pressure. “If you ask for that pressure to win the race and you lose, that’s a different story. That’s why I am happier than normal that I could finish it off today.”
The 199km race, which Boonen won in 2012, finished with narrow roads, sections of pavé and tight corners but then opened up to a wider boulevard and a slight uphill drag to the finish line.
He thanked his teammates for their perfect lead-out that included Kittel and Matteo Trentin in the final 500 metres, which gave him the launching pad to jump around Arnaud Demare (FDJ), who placed second, and Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) in third.
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