Former champion should have attacked before Gilbert did
Tom Boonen (Quick Step) made a mistake in Sunday’s Belgian championships race, he has admitted to Het Nieuwsblad, by not attacking before Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto). The hesitation cost the 2009 champion dear, as was unable to match Gilbert’s final acceleration, and he finished in seventh place, 8 seconds behind.
“Of course I was disappointed,” Boonen said after the race. “For me there was only one place: first; second, third, seventh… it makes no difference to me.
“I also tried to win the race,” he added, “but if Phil wants to do it like that you just have to resign yourself. He’s just very hard to beat right now; I think I pulled out the maximum.”
As the breakaway group of riders hit the final kilometres Boonen found himself on the front and, when Gilbert launched his attack on the final climb, he was unable to respond. The Omega Pharma-Lotto rider, as he has done so many times this season, gapped the rest of his rivals and rode on to take a solo victory.
“I made a mistake,” admitted Boonen. “I should have attacked on the Gitsberg. Phil would then have had to join me, maybe I’d have gone hard into the first corner and he would have had to close the gap. That was actually the plan for the final lap, but once on the cobblestones – I don’t know why myself – I hesitated.
“The pace slackened, Phil jumped from my rear wheel, managed to get a metre, and I could never get close. But that’s naturally to his credit, his effort was truly phenomenal.”
While Boonen will have to wait another year to get the driekleur back though, he can take heart that his position in the race augurs well for his form in the Tour de France, which starts this coming Saturday. After his attack on this, and so many other final climbs this year though, makes Gilbert the red hot favourite for the first stage, which finishes at the top of the Mont des Alouettes.