Tom Boonen to skip Tour of Qatar 2012 as he might make an appearance in the Tour de San Luis
Belgian cyclist, Tom Boonen, may have to alter his 2012 plans as he might have to skip the Tour of Qatar in the coming season. He will be seen in action at the Tour de San Luis in Argentina instead.
Former professional Belgian rider and current Sports Director for Team Quick Step, Wilfried Peeters commented on the issue. He told Sporza, “The Tour de San Luis is indeed an option. But there is still no decision. We must look again quietly with the riders
and sponsors”.
Tom started his professional career in 2002 as he joined Team US Postal for one year. He then moved to Team Quick Step in 2003 and has been representing the Belgian squad since then. He won the stage 3 at the Tour of Belgium during his first year with Quick
Step.
Boonen developed himself into a classic specialist and is ranked amongst the best riders in the sport. He is ranked at the 30th position, with 140 points in the UCI individual rankings of October 2011.
He also won the stage races, including the stage 6 and the stage 20 of the Tour de France 2004.
The 31-year old won the Road World Championships in 2005, followed by the stage 2 and the stage 3 wins at the Tour de France 2005.
He won the yellow jersey at the Tour of Belgium 2005, along with an impressive 4th overall finish at the Tour of Qatar 2005.
His major classic wins are the 2005-08 and 2009 Paris-Roubaix success along with the 2005 and 2006 Ronde Van Vlaanderen. He has won the E3 Paris Vlaanderen on four occasions, 2004-05-06 and 2007. The Belgian also won the Tour of Qatar three times.
However, he secured only two wins in the 2011 season, following the crash at Vuelta a Espana 2011. Stage 1 of Tour of Qatar and 1st position finish at the Gent-Wevelgem are the only two wins for the cyclist in the 2011 season.
Tom will be competing against Vincenzo Nibali and Alberto Contador at the Tour de San Luis. The event will be featuring five World Tour teams, Omega Pharma-Quick Step, Movistar, AG2R-La Mondiale, Liquigas and Saxo Bank-SunGard.
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