Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quickstep)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Belgium's Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) rides through a cobblestoned section(Image credit: AFP)
Tom Boonen at the start of Paris-Roubaix(Image credit: AFP)
Tom Boonen has confirmed that he won’t be part of the Omega Pharma-QuickStep team for the Tour de France, saying he will instead ride the Vuelta a Espana and target the world road race championships.
The Omega Pharma-QuickStep team is expected to be built around sprinter Mark Cavendish, who is targeting the opening stage to Harrogate, while Michal Kwiatkowski will target a good overall placing and Tony Martin the time trial.
"I won't be at the Tour. The team doesn't need me for the Tour and I hope to have a good end of season," Boonen told several Belgian media outlets at the Tour de Suisse.
"My love for the Tour hasn't faded but if I ride the Tour de France, I can say goodbye to the rest of the season."
Boonen will target the Belgian national championships and then take a break in July before riding the Eneco Tour (August 11-17), the Vuelta a Espana (August 23-September 14) and the world road race championships in Ponferrada, Spain (September 28).
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Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).
