2008 World champion to ride five races this season
Lars Boom (Rabobank) has confirmed the cyclocross races that he will be riding this winter. The 2008 World champion will race a total of five times in December and January with the defence of his Dutch championship as his last race. Since stepping up from Rabobank’s Continental team to the ProTour squad at the beginning of 2009, the 24-year-old has concentrated almost entirely on the road; last winter he rode just two ‘cross races.
The 2010 road season began well for Boom, winning the Paris-Nice prologue and leading the race for two days. In July he rode his first ever Tour de France in support of Denis Menchov and Robert Gesink, before finishing sixth in August’s Eneco Tour.
Boom confirmed in late September, before he departed to Melbourne, Australia for the World Road Championships, that he intended to ride more cyclocross this winter. At the time he said that it would help him with his motivation and training over the winter; he wasn’t sure exactly which races back then, but has now decided his programme.
Dutch fans will be disappointed that Boom’s schedule is an entirely Belgian one in December before the national championships in Sint-Michielsgestel. He will begin on December 12th with the Vlaamse Druivenveldrit in Overijse, near Brussels, followed by the Scheldecross in Antwerp the next weekend.
The biggest race of his season will come on December 26th with the World Cup race in Heusden-Zolder, before the final race of 2010, the Azencross in Loenhout three days later.
The national championships fall on January 9th, which is currently scheduled to be his final race before the road season starts. Should he retain his driekleur jersey, he may be tempted to ride the World Championships in St-Wendel, Germany three weeks later; although with the road season on the way this could be unlikely.
Lars Boom’s 2010/11 schedule:
Dec 12 – Vlaamse Druivenveldrit, Overijse
Dec 18 – Fidea Scheldecross, Antwerp
Dec 26 – World Cup Heusden-Zolder
Dec 29 – Azencross, Loenhout
Jan 09 – Dutch Championships, Sint-Michielsgestel