Boonen still on track for London Olympic road race

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Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) didn’t feature at the top of the results at the end of the first stage at the Tour of Poland but it wasn’t for lack of condition. A crash in the final three kilometers meant he could not contest the sprint but says there is no reason for concern.

"It will be okay for London," said the recently crowned Belgian champion on nieuwsblad.

Boonen demonstrated no ill effects from the previous day’s crash by finishing third in the 239.4 kilometre second stage. He finished behind Ben Swift (Sky) Elia Viviani (Liquigas-Cannondale) but put his performance down to positioning, not condition.

"I came roughly from tenth position in the sprint. I had to wait a little bit to launch my sprint because I was boxed in. It was uphill, so I came very fast, but a little bit too late. I had to close the gap," he said on his team site.

It was a promising sign for Boonen who has skipped the Tour de France this year to ensure his preparation is tuned exactly to his requirements. He had already stated his reasons for staying away from the Tour and if stage two was anything to go by, it was the right choice.

"Today, osteopath Steven Vrancken came along to thoroughly check everything again. "On this basis, I can continue working at my big goal. Tuesday splashed my Olympic dream almost apart. But today I am reassured: It is ok for London."

Team director Rik Van Slycke was pleased that Boonen was not overly hindered by the day's previous fall.

"For Tom it was important to try immediately a sprint after yesterday's crash, to leave behind a bad moment. He did it and with a bit of luck he could also have won. On the last turn, he came out of nowhere in the sprint to take third," said Van Slycke.