THE RACE LIVE

The film of the stage

Boonen’s Winning Blitz Continues

The flat profile and the presence of Tom Boonen in the peloton helped make it easy to predict the outcome of the first road stage of the 92nd Tour de France. The 24-year-old Belgian timed his sprint to perfection and claimed the victory ahead of Thor Hushovd and Robbie McEwen. Less than 48 hours earlier Boonen was on the verge of forfeiting his place in the race because of a tooth infection. “I thought I was going to die I was in such pain,” explained the rider who has won more often than he’s lost in 2005. After some dental treatment before the first stage, he was back on the bike and ready to continue his winning ways. Boonen can win sprints or epic contests where only the strong survive. He won in January in Qatar; was second in the Belgian season-opener Het Volk; maintained his form and picked up two stages in Paris-Nice in March… and then controlled the major cobbled Classics in April. On successive weekends he put his name on the honor roll of the Monuments of Spring, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. Today Boonen claimed his 11th victory of the year and it never looked in doubt. Other sprinters had ambitions. Baden Cooke had his squad on the front of the bunch for in the hope of a repeat of his victory in Sedan two years ago but the crash of a team-mate in the final kilometer hindered his chances. It also split the field in two but the main hopes for the stage win were up front. Coming out of the final turn, Robbie McEwen opened the throttle. It was a finish which suits his style; slightly technical with a bend just 300m from the line. From a good position he appeared in control but he had no answer to Boonen’s powerful acceleration. “McEwen took off and I dropped it down two gears and I managed to get past him when it matters most,” said Boonen. “The first goal was to win a stage; that’s been done so now I want the green jersey.” It was a contrast to the early stages of last year when Boonen suffered mechanical problems early. His powerful legs forced his chain to skip gears at crucial moments during the opening days in 2004. A solution was found and he promptly won his first Tour stage. He made it over the mountains and was strong enough to win the final stage last year. Victory in the points classification is now a realistic option. He knows he can reach the finish and he demonstrated that he has the speed to pass the two riders who topped the race for the green jersey last year. McEwen lamented about his missed opportunity – “I just got the timing wrong” – and although Hushovd followed Boonen to the line, he didn’t have the kick required to pass him. Today’s stage was the first bunch sprint in the Tour that the six-time green jersey winner Erik Zabel didn’t have an opportunity to contest since 1995. The German wasn’t selected for the T-Mobile line-up even though he was third in the points classification last year. Zabel didn’t win a stage since 2002 but he was a consistent performer every time he lined up. The rejection of his squad has prompted him to mention retirement as an option after 13 years as a professional. Although Boonen will spend his first day in the green jersey tomorrow, only a cynic would suggest that he’s not capable of holding on to it through to Paris. There’s a long way to go and the other main candidates for the sprinter’s prize will come out fighting in the stage to Tours but it’s fair to say that Boonen’s blitz is likely to continue for another day… if not long enough to eclipse Zabel’s record. It’s a bold call, but Boonen is a bold man with a lot of ambition – and the ability to back it up.

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