Tom Boonen (Quick Step)(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Tom Boonen (Quick Step).(Image credit: Mark Johnson/www.ironstring.com)
Tom Boonen is now riding pain free and has announced he will ride a sportif at the weekend as he prepares to return to racing at the Circuit Franco-Belge at the end of the month.
The former world champion has been struggling for most of the season with a ligament problem, which was aggravated by a crash at the Tour de Suisse. He underwent surgery on July 15 and missed the Tour de France. A slow recovery also meant he was forced to miss the Vuelta a España. He will test his knee in the Innergetic Pijl sportif around Tielt in Belgium.
“In the last few days I've been training constantly and well. The knee hasn't been bothering me, the pain seems to be gone” Boonen said. “I still have to be careful but my recovery is going in the right direction. This is why I was happy to accept the Maes family's invitation to take part in the Innergetic Pijl. It will be a lovely Sunday of sport and I hope that the cycling tourists will come out in force like last year, or even better. It's going to be a lot of fun."
Boonen will ride with Quick Step teammates Kurt Hovelijnck and Frederique Robert.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.
