Boonen Works Hard for Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne Win

By Jessica | Permalink |

No Comments | March 4th, 2007 | Trackback

Tom Boonen might have been complaining about leg cramps yesterday which prevented him from really contesting the finish at Het Volk, but he more than made up for that today with a textbook win from a bunch sprint. His Quick-Step team timed their lead-out to perfection - it’s fun to see what the big teams can do when they’re given a chance. His final lead-out man, Gert Steegmans, even looked powerful enough after he pulled off the front that if he hadn’t sat up to pre-cheer the Boonen victory he might have even been able to contest it (or at least get on the podium). Now that’s a powerful team.

Stuart O’Grady is an iron man - he worked his arse off in yesterday’s break (to no result, but still) and as I turned on the coverage this morning I heard his name again in the break. Team CSC has got to be happy with his efforts, if nothing else. With 42k to go (when I turned on the coverage at 6:30am) there was a break of nine off the front of the peloton by over three minutes. The only names I recognized in the break were O’Grady’s and Stijn Devolder. The final two riders left in the break, a Predictor-Lotto guy and a Unibet guy, were sucked back into the peloton with about 2K to go, and then it was all about the sprinters.

Boonen might not be on top form yet at this early point in the season (he looked like he had to work pretty damned hard for that win), but this has got to be a great confidence boost for him.

1 Tom Boonen (Quick Step)
2 Alessandro Cortinovis (Milram)
3 Iljo Keisse (Chocolade Jacques-Topsport Vlaanderen)

Wow. Just now watching the podium presentation and seeing the trophy Boonen got, I’m wondering if he might not rather have let someone else take that thing home. It’s the weirdest-looking trophy I’ve ever seen - it’s a donkey’s head with a giant toothy grin and what looked like a yellow mohawk. I shudder to think of the meaning behind that one.