Boonen with modest expectations for Amgen Tour of California

Tom Boonen got a special world champion’s prize for his design

view thumbnail gallery

Olympics, Worlds main goals, but Tour de France still in question

Omega Pharma-Quickstep‘s Tom Boonen will bring his star power to the Amgen Tour of California this week, but having taken an extended break from competition following his spectacular Classics victories including the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, he is not expecting to make a big splash on US soil. Instead, he is using the race to tune up for his main goals: the Olympic Games and World Championships.

“The main ambition is to have a good week here and get racing again. Hopefully Levi [Leipheimer] will be feeling better,” Boonen told Cyclingnews. “But for most of the guys it’s just getting started again – either they had a break after the Classics or have been altitude training. It’s a nice week, it’s hard, but it’s a good week to get started again and go back to Europe with some good shape.”

The four weeks since his record fourth Paris-Roubaix win have not been all fun and relaxation, Boonen explained that he moved from Monaco to Belgium in April and spent the past few weeks moving boxes and unpacking. “The Sunday night after Roubaix was the first night I spent at my house in Belgium,” he said.

“It’s a lot of work, but if you don’t do it yourself it doesn’t feel like home. The last time I moved I didn’t do anything, I just came back from a race and everything was there, but I never had a real sensation of being at home. Now it’s different, we are really at home.”

Now settled in back home, Boonen returns to the Amgen Tour of California for the first time since 2009. While he only has one stage win

To read the whole story, visit here: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cyclingnews/news/~3/gRzCcYeaEQU/story01.htm

Related posts: