Lars Boom (Rabobank) was a huge home crowd favourite.(Image credit: DCP/Bert Geerts)
Lars Boom leads the breakaway.(Image credit: Lavuelta.com)
Lars Boom settles into the crimson jersey for leading the mountains classification.(Image credit: Sirotti)
One of the most visible riders at this year's Vuelta a España, Dutchman Lars Boom, is suffering with an injury to his Achilles tendon, but will continue in the Spanish race. Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reports that the 23-year-old Rabobank rider developed the injury on Thursday's stage five to Vinaròs.
Boom was one of the last members of the peloton to finish the Vuelta's fifth stage. He crossed the line almost five minutes behind stage winner André Greipel (Columbia-HTC). Despite concerns about the injury, his team said he will continue in the race.
"In the short term, he can still race, but he has problems with it," Rabobank Directeur Sportif Adriaan van Houwelingen told De Telegraaf. "It could be a problem later [in the race]."
Boom has been one of Rabobank's most aggressive riders in the Vuelta so far. The 2008 Cyclo-cross World Champion spent stages three and four in the day's major breakaways. His efforts were rewarded with the most combative rider prize and the mountains classification jersey, on each stage respectively.
Boom relinquished the mountain jersey to Aitor Hernández (Euskaltel-Euskadi) on the Vuelta's first day in Spain, on Thursday.
Whilst he sits just one point behind the Basque rider in the climber's competition, Boom, a former U23 World time trial champion, is expected to focus his efforts on a stage win in the Vuelta's 30.3 kilometre individual test on Saturday's stage seven.
He finished a lowly 44th in the Vuelta prologue in Assen, 26 seconds behind stage winner, Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank). Boom currently sits 186th on the general classification, 13:11 in arrears of race leader André Greipel (Columbia-HTC).
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