Boonen happy with Tour de Suisse performance

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Tom Boonen rode a fairly anonymous Tour de Suisse and abandoned with only 80km left in the race on Sunday. But the Omega Pharma-QuickStep rider is satisfied with his performance and looking forward to the upcoming Belgian national championships on Sunday.

His abandonment was planned. “I had to get my flight at 8pm,” he told Het Nieuwsblad. “After the finish it was a two hour drive to Zürich.”

However, “the important thing is that I've ridden many miles and sat on the bike for many hours. I feel good and that gives me confidence for the Belgian championship on Sunday.”

Riding Suisse is “always weird,” Boonen noted. “It is a preparation for what follows but you don't want to take too many risks.”

He will take it easy this week, skipping the Halle-Ingooigem race on Wednesday. “Monday and Tuesday I will rest. I suspect I will be refreshed again by Wednesday. Then I will get two good training sessions in. 

“I look forward to the Belgian championship. It is in Geel, and so a home game, which is an added incentive.”

Boonen has won the national title once, in 2009. This year he is skipping the Tour de France to concentrate on the London 2012 Olympics.