Boonen to lead Quick Step in Tour de France

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Tom Boonen will lead Team Quick Step in the Tour de France this year, the team announced Wednesday afternoon – assuming his troubled left knee holds up on Sunday's Belgian national championship road race.

Boonen, 29, has won six stages In the Tour and won the green jersey in 2007. However, he has said that he may be forced to skip the Tour this year due to problems with his knee. He suffered the injury in a crash in the Tour of California in May, and aggravated it in another crash at the Tour de Suisse.

Four riders will be making their Tour debut: Kevin Seeldrayers, who won the white jersey as best young rider at the 2009 Giro d'Italia; Dries Devenyns, Kevin De Weert, and Maarten Wynants. They will be joined by Jurgen Van de Walle, Carlos Barredo, Sylvain Chavanel, who has recovered from a fractured skull suffered at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and Jerome Pineau, who won a stage at this year's Giro d'Italia.

The teams two reserve riders are Kevin Hulsmans and Wouter Weylandt, who also won a stage at the Giro.

Quick Step for the Tour de France: Carlos Barredo, Tom Boonen, Sylvain Chavanel, Dries Devenyns, Kevin De Weert, Jerome Pineau, Kevin Seeldrayers, Jurgen Van de Walle, and Maarten Wynants.