Tom Boonen, Omega Pharma-QuickStep 2014

TOM BOONEN
Date of birth:
15/01/1980

From: Mol, Belgium

Team: Etixx-QuickStep

Previous teams: US Postal (2002)

Tom Boonen career profile
Tom Boonen is arguably the greatest one-day rider of his generation. Whilst cobbled Classics are his top speciality - Boonen is already a double winner of Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders - the Belgian is also a points jersey winner in the Tour de France and a former World Champion.

Charismatic, good-looking and articulate, Boonen was nominated Johan Museeuw's successor after taking third in his first ever Paris-Roubaix. Since then he has had the status of a rock star in Belgium.

After a controversial team change from US Postal to Quick Step in 2003, Boonen started to rack up the wins in bunch wins and in bigger and bigger Classics.

An incredibly prolific winner (in two years he has taken over 20 victories), 2005 has been Boonen's key year so far, with his first triumph in Flanders and Paris-Roubaix as well as the World Championships victory in Madrid.

However, Boonen's playboy lifestyle off the bike caught up with him badly in 2008 when he returned positive for cocaine in an out-of-race drugs test and was barred from the Tour.

Just 12 months later he again tested positive for cocaine in an out-of-competition test in April 2009 and was immediately suspended by his Quick Step team. He subsequently admitted to having a drink problem on Belgian TV.

After a couple of quiet seasons - by his standard - Boonen returned to top form in 2012, scooping four classics in a row: E3 Harelbeke, Ghent-Wevelgem, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. The latter victory meant that he matched Roger De Vlaeminck's record for scoring four Paris-Roubaix wins.

Tom Boonen results
2015
Tour of Belgium; stage one

Tour of Belgium; points classification

Rund um Koln

Eneco Tour; stage three

Sparkassen Münsterland Giro

2014
Tour of Qatar; stage four
Tour of Qatar; stage two

Tour of Qatar; points classification

Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne

Tour of Belgium; stage one

Tour of Belgium; stage two

2013

Tour de Wallonie; stage two

Heistse Pijl

2012

Tour of San Luis; stage seven

Tour of Qatar; stage one

Tour of Qatar; stage four

Tour of Qatar; overall

Paris-Nice; stage two

E3 Harelbeke

Ghent-Wevelgem

Tour of Flanders

Paris-Roubaix

2011
Tour of Qatar; stage one
Ghent-Wevelgem

2010

Tour of Qatar; stage three
Tour of Qatar; stage five

Tour of Oman; stage five

Tirreno-Adriatico; stage two


2009

Circuit Franco-Belge; stage three

ENECO Tour; stage three

Tour of Qatar; overall

Tour of Qatar; stage three

Paris-Roubaix

Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne

National road race championships

2008

Tour of Spain; stage

Tour of Spain; stage

Ster Elektrotoer; stage

Circuit Franco-Belge; stage

Tour of Austria; stage

Tour of Wallonia; stage

Eneco Tour; stage

Eneco Tour; stage

Tour of California; stage

Tour of Belgium; stage

Tour of Qatar; stage

Tour of Qatar; stage

Tour of Qatar; stage

Tour of Qatar; overall

Paris-Roubaix

2007

Tour de France; stage

Tour de France; stage

Tour de France; green jersey

Tour of Belgium; stage

Tour of Qatar; stage

Tour of Qatar; stage

Tour of Qatar; stage

Tour of Qatar; stage

Tour of Andalucia; stage

Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne

Across Flanders

E3 Harelbeke

2006

GP Doha

Tour of Qatar; stage

Tour of Qatar; stage

Tour of Qatar; stage

Tour of Qatar; stage

Tour of Qatar; overall

Tour of Andalusia; stage

Paris-Nice; stage

Paris-Nice; stage

Paris-Nice; stage

Paris-Nice; stage

E3 Harelbeke

Tour of Flanders

Scheldeprijs

Tour of Belgium; stage

Tour of Belgium; stage

Veenendaal-Veenendaal

Tour of Switzerland; stage

Eneco Tour; stage

Eneco Tour; stage

Eneco Tour; stage

Tour of Britain; stage

2005

Tour of Qatar; stage

Tour of Qatar; stage

Paris-Nice; stage

Paris-Nice; stage

E3 Harelbeke

Tour of Flanders

Paris-Roubaix

Tour of Picardie; stage

Tour of Belgium; stage

Tour of Belgium; overall

Tour de France; stage

World Road Race Champion

2004

Tour of Qatar; stage

Tour of Andalusia; stage

E3 Harelbeke

Ghent-Wevelgem

Scheldeprijs

Tour of Picardie; stage

Tour of Picardie; stage

Tour of Picardie; overall

Tour of Belgium; stage

Tour of Germany; stage

Tour of Germany; stage

Ster Elektrotoer; stage

Ster Elektrotoer; stage

Tour de France; stage

Tour de France; stage

Omloop Mandel

Tour of Britain; stage

Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen

Circuite Franco-Belge; stage

Circuite Franco-Belge; stage

2003

Tour of Belgium; stage

2002

UNIQA Classic; stage

Tom Boonen photos

Related links

Cycling Weekly rider profiles: index

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Nigel Wynn
Former Associate Editor

Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.