Belgian nationals course too hard for Boonen, race manager says

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The course for the Belgian national road championships is too hard for Tom Boonen and Gianni Meersman, said race manager Jean-Luc Vandenbroucke, who picks Jurgen Van den Broeck for the title.

The course in La Roche-en-Ardenne has two parts, a city circuit to be covered twice,  described as “a bit of the Monaco Grand prix, only cycling,” followed by sixteen laps of a 13.8 km circuit course, for a total of 220 kilometers.

It is the second circuit which makes the course so difficult. It features not only the Cote d'Ortho, the main climb of Liege-Bastogne-Liege, but also two short but nasty climbs.

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“It is something for climbers,” Vandenbroucke said, calling it much too difficult for Boonen, and possibly for almost everyone else. “If the weather is bad, I don't expect twenty riders at the finish.”

Philippe Gilbert has a chance, “but has too few teammates in the race.” He looks to Van den Broeck and Maxime Monfort, who “is not a world champion and will therefore find it easier to slip away.”

"Jelle Vanendert was actually my favorite. But he's not well. And so I put my money on Van den Broeck. If he ever wants to win the Belgian championship, this is his chance."