Tom Boonen
Tom Boonen
When he was a young rider with Discovery Channel, Tom Boonen was told by Johan Museeuw that he could be the next Museeuw. It turned out to be a very prescient statement by the Lion of Flanders, as Boonen, in results terms at least, has gone on to eclipse his mentor.
Such is the spotlight on Boonen in Belgium, that whenever Tommeke fails to live up to expectations there’s a public enquiry in the press, and sometimes that has weighed heavily on his shoulders. However, the fact that, more often that not, Boonen has thrived under that pressure is a testament to his ability as a rider and his continued dedication to the sport rather than resting on the laurels of his past successes.
Boonen’s first prominent performance was in 2002 when he finished third in Paris-Roubaix as a 21-year-old riding for Discovery Channel. It was that result that led Museuuw to appoint him his successor but it wasn’t until 2005 that Tornado Tom managed to ascend to the top step of the Roubaix podium. However, it was a year worth waiting for. Not only did the then 24-year-old win Roubaix, but he’d won the Tour of Flanders the week before and ended the year out sprinting Alejandro Valverde to victory in the World Championship road race in Madrid.
In 2012, seven years after that first triumph and with three more Monuments under his belt, Boonen made history again becoming the only person to have complete the Flanders-Roubaix double on two occasions (although that record has since been equaled by Fabian Cancellara). That year’s win in Roubaix also equaled Roger de Vlaeminck’s record number of four wins in the Hell of the North. And he did it in style, as well. Attacking with 50km still to race, Boonen soloed to victory in the velodrome, making the most feared one-day race in cycling look rather like a training ride.