Belgian's final Opening Weekend ends in disappointment
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Tom Boonen and Peter Sagan ahead of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.(Image credit: Sadhbh O'Shea)
A smiling Tom Boonen had a bigger smiles by day's end(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tom Boonen ahead of his final Omloop Het Nieuwsblad start(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tom Boonen will not start Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne due to illness. His Quick-Step Floors team announced the news via Twitter shortly before the start of Sunday’s race. The Belgian is due to return to action at Tirreno-Adriatico, which gets underway on March 8.
“Unfortunately, @tomboonen1 won't start #KBK due to stomach problems. Have a fast recovery, Tom, and see you in #Tirreno!” read the Quick-Step Floors team’s tweet.
Boonen abandoned Saturday’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad after crashing twice, with the second incident occurring just before the race ignited on the Taaienberg. Although Boonen remounted and gave chase, he abandoned shortly afterwards with an eye to Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, only for stomach problems to rule him out of the second instalment of Belgium’s Opening Weekend.
Boonen is in the final weeks in the professional peloton, and he will retire after Paris-Roubaix on April 9. His abandon on Saturday means that he will retire without inscribing Omloop Het Nieuwsblad to his palmarès, while his withdrawal from Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne means that he forgoes the chance of adding to his record tally of three victories.
More to follow...
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