Boonen wins World Ports Classic opener

Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) won the opening stage of the inaugural World Ports Classic with a powerful sprint that delighted his home fans in Antwerp. Boonen, a native of nearby Mol, proved too quick for André Greipel (Lotto Belisol) and Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) in the finishing straight.

The 190km stage from Rotterdam to Antwerp took the peloton along the North Sea coast and Boonen’s Omega Pharma-QuickStep took control of affairs as winds buffeted the race. Their aggressive riding split the peloton in two and although the group reformed in the finale, Boonen’s teammates set the agenda for the finale.

Omega Pharma-QuickStep’s Andy Fenn clipped off the front on the run-in in the company of Michael Mørkøv (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank), and when he was swept up the stage was set for a bunch finish, where Boonen took the spoils.

“It’s really a collective victory because my teammate did a great job to set up a great lead-out train,” Boonen said afterwards. “When the day is difficult, I know that I have a good chance in the sprint against the specialists and that was the case again today.”

Winner of E3 Harelbeke, Gent-Wevelgem, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix already this year, Boonen had no difficulty in dealing with the windy conditions. “The weather was ideal for making the race hard,” he said. “Our strategy was effectively to make the race hard from the start, create echelons and that worked perfectly.”

The World Ports Classic concludes tomorrow with a return leg from Antwerp to Rotterdam.