Tom Boonen backs down from Colnago criticism: 'I dreamed about winning Paris-Roubaix on a Colnago'

The Belgian legend apologises for the bizarre spat

Tom Boonen
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Tom Boonen has rowed back on his opinion that Colnago bikes are “old-school” by insisting that it was his childhood dream to win Paris-Roubaix aboard a bike from the Italian brand.

The bizarre story began earlier this week when the Belgian Classics legend told the Wielerclub Wattage podcast that Colnago were not among one of the top-five bike brands in the world, saying that while they were “catching up”, they were “still an old-school bike and they haven’t quite mastered that super-hyper-aero stuff yet.”

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Chris Marshall-Bell

A freelance sports journalist and podcaster, you'll mostly find Chris's byline attached to news scoops, profile interviews and feature writing across a variety of different publications. He has been writing regularly for Cycling Weekly since 2013.


Previously a ski, hiking and cycling guide in a number of places, but mostly in the Canadian Rockies and Spanish Pyrenees, he almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains.


He lives in Valencia, Spain.