Publications
Partners
Paris - Two-time winner Tom Boonen has broken with one of his annual traditions as he bids Sunday to join an elite club of three-time Tour of Flanders champions Sunday.
Flanders, or the 'Ronde' as locals like to call it, is the biggest one-day classic in Flemish-speaking Belgium and the second 'monument' of the season after Milan-SanRemo.
And while tradition normally dictates participating in the Three Days of De Panne midweek, after seeing the rain Boonen decided on another plan of attack.
His race form still brimming over following an impressive second place finish in Milan-SanRemo, Boonen's five-hour training session Wednesday allowed him to get up close to the 15 'hellingen' (climbs) on the course, many of which are cobbled and pepper the second half of the 262km course.
"I had almost forgotten what some of the sections of the race looked like! I really think that if you've not taken the time to go out and preview the course it will be a major disadvantage," said Boonen.
Given that at least one rival, Filippo Pozzato, retired sick with flu-like symptoms on the first stage at La Panne, Boonen said he did not regret his decision.
"If the weather's good, it gives your form a boost for Flanders. But it's not a good idea if the weather's bad."
Boonen's Quick Step team-mate Stijn Devolder has won the race the past two seasons, the Belgian benefiting, to some extent, to the close marking of his teammate in the closing stages.
But this year Boonen, whose two previous wins came in 2005 and 2006, will be hoping Devolder plays the loyal teammate and allows him the chance to join an elite club of three-time winners first.
Going on the recent form of Dane Matti Breschel, Boonen's tactical nous could be tested to the full by a Saxo Bank team which also boasts Fabian Cancellara.
At Dwars door Vlanderen last week, a 204km semi-classic which features 12 steep climbs, Breschel attacked a front group containing all the favourites. With Cancellara sitting on Boonen's wheel, the Belgian was trapped, and Breschel went on to win.
Asked how he would feel in a finale with Breschel, Boonen was defiant.
"Honestly, I don't fear anyone," he added.
"I'm not the kind who gets nervous. And I'd be even less inclined to be so given my form at the moment."
But the Belgian all but admitted he will be hoping as many teammates as possible are at his side in the crucial closing stages to help counter attacks and ward off aggressors.
"I think it will be really tactical this year, with a difficult finale where a few of the big favourites will be paying close attention to each other," added Boonen.
Much like the Paris-Roubaix, which will be raced next weekend, the 262km Tour of Flanders is a race riders love and hate in equal measure.
"From a competitive point of view, Flanders was one of the most horrible races to ride but one of the greatest races to win," said Irish racing legend Sean Kelly, who came close on several occasions to winning the 'Ronde'.
Crashes are not uncommon, and so it is unlikely that seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong takes too many risks when he saddles up with his Radio Shack team.
