Boonen must rest knee before national championships

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Tom Boonen must rest his knee for a few days and will miss the Halle-Ingooigem race on Wednesday. However, the Quick Step sprinter expects to back in time for the Belgian championship on Sunday and the Tour de France which begins the following weekend.

Boonen is the current Belgian national champion but abandoned the Tour de Suisse on Saturday due to pain in his left knee. He injured the knee in a crash in the Amgen Tour of California, and then again at the Tour de Suisse.

He had the knee examined again Monday in Herentals, Belgium, and was told to rest the knee for several days. “Tom feels a constant slight pain, but with medication and a few days rest it should get better again quickly,” team manager Wilfried Peeters told Sporza.be

"From Thursday, Tom can train for the Belgian championship on Sunday in Leuven. His ride in the Championship is not in danger, his condition will not suffer."