Omega Pharma-QuickStep leader to target end of season races
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Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quickstep)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Belgium's Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) rides through a cobblestoned section(Image credit: AFP)
Tom Boonen at the start of Paris-Roubaix(Image credit: AFP)
Tom Boonen has confirmed that he won’t be part of the Omega Pharma-QuickStep team for the Tour de France, saying he will instead ride the Vuelta a Espana and target the world road race championships.
The Omega Pharma-QuickStep team is expected to be built around sprinter Mark Cavendish, who is targeting the opening stage to Harrogate, while Michal Kwiatkowski will target a good overall placing and Tony Martin the time trial.
"I won't be at the Tour. The team doesn't need me for the Tour and I hope to have a good end of season," Boonen told several Belgian media outlets at the Tour de Suisse.
"My love for the Tour hasn't faded but if I ride the Tour de France, I can say goodbye to the rest of the season."
Boonen will target the Belgian national championships and then take a break in July before riding the Eneco Tour (August 11-17), the Vuelta a Espana (August 23-September 14) and the world road race championships in Ponferrada, Spain (September 28).
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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.
