Tom Boonen has revealed that he went to see a sports psychologist earlier this year in a bid to get to grips with nerves on the bike.
Fear is not an emotion you’d associate with Boonen, who in April cited ‘big balls’ as the key characteristic of a Paris-Roubaix winner, but the Belgian, speaking at an event alongside QuickStep directeur sportif Wilfried Peeters, admitted he didn’t feel comfortable this year at the opening weekend of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, and again at the Tour of Flanders.
“At the opening weekend, I really wasn’t feeling it. I didn't dare go for the gaps," said Boonen, according to Het Nieuwsblad. "For the first time in my long career, I went to see a sports psychologist."
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The 36-year-old had the one-off session in March, though the feelings still persisted at the Tour of Flanders in April.
“I turned onto the third climb of the Oude Kwaremont in last place in the group – that had never happened to me before,” noted Boonen, who had been caught up in a big crash after 100km. “During the descent of the Nieuwe Kwaremont I really was scared."
Developing such fear at this late stage of a storied career seems strange, but riders often have such reactions in the wake of serious crashes. Boonen suffered one such incident at last year’s Abu Dhabi Tour, where he hit his head on the tarmack and left the race in an ambulance. It was later revealed he’d suffered permanent damage to his hearing.
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