Bleu bands "Race against cancer"

Tom Boonen's wrist has been sporting yellow and red wristbands and a yellow sweatband in the past. At the medical check and in the first stages of the Tour, Tom was wearing a blue wristband. "I got this from Nick Nuyens," Tom told the VUM papers.

By wearing it, Boonen is supporting the charity organisation "No Limits". Former pro and current Team CSC director sportif Scott Sunderland is the front man of their Race against Cancer campaign. Virtually the complete Belgian peloton was wearing a bleu wristband at the Belgian National Championships, and now plenty of them are to be spotted in the Tour peloton.

"The co-operation from the riders in the peloton has been absolutely awesome," said Sunderland. "Especially Serge Baguet and Kevin Van Impe have been very active bringing the bands into the peloton; unfortunately neither of them is in the Tour. But it's great to see that the other riders aren't oblivious to this initiative either and the bands are hot items right now.

"The Belgian Charity No Limits is an organisation which has as its main activity the fulfillment of the special wishes of terminally ill children. For example they arranged for one ill boy to meet the Pope. Being a father of two myself, I immediately agreed to help them out when they came to ask for me to be "godfather" of this initiative. In August, a group of people will ride from Faro (Portugal) via Santiago de Compostella and Lourdes back to Belgium to raise money and make people aware of what they can do for the kids. It's a daunting ride of 4000km. One of the participants has just finished her last chemotherapy in January. It is a small gesture to support these people."

Race against Cancer website: www.racetegenkanker.be/missie.htm

VZW No Limits website: www.kinderkanker.be