Over a decade on from pulling on the rainbow jersey in Madrid, Tom Boonen goes into the 2016 UCI World Championships road race as one of the favourites. The 'Tornado' might not have been raging too often over the last few years, but there's no rider who can match his record in Qatar.
The 2005 champion boasts 22 stage wins and four overall victories at the Tour of Qatar, with the terrain and conditions well suited to the riding style that has landed him so much success in the one-day Classics.
With Boonen, who will turn 36 on the eve of Sunday's elite men's road race, set to retire after next year's Paris-Roubaix, it's hard to imagine that a win on October 16 would make a huge difference to his legacy. Sure, it would add a big win to his palmares but there are already quite a lot of big titles on that list. A selection: four wins at Paris-Roubaix, three at the Tour of Flanders, a world title, two national titles, a green jersey and six stage wins at the Tour de France, and two stages at the Vuelta a España, along with multiple wins in Ghent-Wevelgem, E3 Harelbeke and countless other one-day races.
ADVERTISEMENT
For Boonen, a win doesn't matter too much; he'll always remain a big star on home soil. Which one would have a bigger impact: a second world title or an unprecedented fifth win at the velodrome in Roubaix? Boonen simply states it would be great to finish his career at the velodrome while trying to win the World championships in 2016 and a big Classic in the Spring of 2017. Shortly after extending his contract with Etixx-QuickStep for four months, 'Tornado Tom' stipulated that the Worlds road race was his main goal for the end of the season.
"I want to be there with the best possible sprinting form," he said in July.
Boonen realises that big wins don't simply come on demand, explaining after losing this year's Paris-Roubaix sprint to Mathew Hayman: "There are more races you lose, than races you win."
Flemish superstardom
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://ift.tt/2dTNGAh
No comments:
Post a Comment