Seven riders from four different nations are supporting Tom Boonen in his quest to improve on his second place of last year in Milan-Sanremo, which is held this Saturday. Boonen has recovered from a flu, but Saturday will answer the question if he was able to keep enough of his strength for a race of almost 300 kilometers.
The long distance always make for an interesting winner. “Milan-Sanremo is a strange race that's always tough to predict" says Boonen. "This is part of what makes it so compelling. In this race you can never know what's going to happen.”
Although there is always the certainty that a break will go early, spending more hours in the lead than most races are long. But with the first of the three Capi, the Capo Mele at kilometer 245, the favorites will start to be attentive. Until then, they need to hide. “As always it will be important not to waste any precious energy before the final,” Boonen says.
Thanks to his sickness, Boonen feels less people will pay attention to him. “Compared to last year, I'm not starting out as a favourite and this can be an advantage. There are lots of adversaries, perhaps a few more than in these last years.”
Boonen was lucky that he made it to Tirreno- Adriatico; his fever went down just in time to be able to travel to Italy. ”At Tirreno-Adriatico we got to check out which riders are in top form. Personally, I feel better than when the race started.” Boonen was able to ride himself in form. “I recovered well from the flu that left me weak in the first days of the race. I’m not 100 percent, but I'm growing. I’m ready to ride a good race."
Boonen will need to rely on his Quick Step teammates to eliminate dangerous moves on the Cipressa and the Poggio, the two decisive climbs towards the end. Should a small group arrive on the Lungomare and Boonen is in it, he will be one of the hot favorites.
Boonen looks at an excellent string of ‘domestiques’, such as Sylvain Chavanel, Davide Malacarrne, Jerome Pineau or Niki Tersptra. Someone like Chavanel could even contest for victory, given the right tactical circumstances. That said, the sprinters have done a good job in the last few years to bring it all back together before the finishing straight.
Quick Step team for Milan-Sanremo: Marco Bandiera (ITA), Tom Boonen (BEL), Sylvain Chavanel (FRA), Davide Malacarne (ITA), Jerome Pineau (FRA), Francesco Reda (ITA), Niki Terpstra (NED), Kevin Van Impe (BEL)