The World Championships on September 25 will signal the end of Tom Boonen's busy season. He won't ride Paris-Tours, but instead will undergo more surgery for the stomach problem that he also had treated at the end of last season. "Before last year's operation, a few days after the world championships in Verona, I felt terribly ill. They took me to hospital, where doctors found out that I had a serious stomach and intestinal problem. The operation wasn't completely successful though. So it has to be redone," Boonen confirmed at his home in Balen.
Boonen may start in the GP Wallonie after his Quick Step team received permission from Vuelta organisers to start the classics star in the Belgian race. Rules don't permit riders to race somewhere else while the competition they dropped out of is still happening. "Maybe he'll start in Chaudfontaine. He can do the race, but won't be racing to win", said Quick Step team manager Patrick Lefevere.
