"That fall made me world champion" - Tom Boonen looks back at his World title two decades ago

When Tom Boonen won the World Championships two decades ago, the legendary Belgian had only just recently broken through among professionals. And after a mediocre run-up programme towards the 2005 Championship in Madrid, not many had the highest hopes of the fast man who had won (his first) Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix earlier that year. Especially since a fall at the Tour de France forced Boonen to give up earlier than planned.

"That fall made me world champion. Absolutely," Boonen thinks about what could've been had he completed the full race in a feature for Sporza. "I've never been the type to benefit from finishing a Grand Tour. Had I finished that Tour and then also part of the Vuelta, I know that winning in Madrid wouldn't have been possible."

Boonen believes the shorter race gave him an extra edge over his opponents. "I was still super fresh, while other men were already exhausted. After I gave up, I still had one goal before the World Championships and I had plenty of time."

After abandoning the Tour, Boonen rode the Vuelta for nearly two full weeks, but doesn't win any stages. He doesn't make a great impression. "But I had the right feeling just in time."

Before fourteenth stage, Boonen called it a race and did not start. Meanwhile his main rival Alessandro Petacchi, who has won five stages at that Vuelta, continued until Madrid and then fell the drawback a week later. "That was the big difference: he wanted to win everything, while I viewed the Vuelta as preparation. I felt fantastic in the days leading up to the World Championships. I was already mature enough to realize that with that feeling, I would be in contention for the prizes."

But not only rider rivalries filled newspapers in the days before the 2005 race. Boonen's team manager Patrick Lefevere, as engaged as ever, openly criticized national coach José de Cauwer's selection days prior to the race. His main concern was lack of dedicated helpers for his team's big star Tom Boonen.

"Patrick thought I didn't have enough teammates with me, but I didn't let that bother me for a second. I let them do what they always do: whine, complain, and then everything turned out fine. Their little war? They've always done nothing else, have they? They're two cocky types, and Patrick enjoyed it, especially when José reacted. But José proved himself right."

Boonen knows he can count on a few pawns from Lotto, Quick-Step's main rival at the time. "I got along well with guys like Mario Aerts and Peter Van Petegem. I had received assurances that they would drive for me and that was enough. I never thought there would be any problems on their side."

Ultimately there was a little truth to Lefevere's fears as Björn Leukemans and Nick Nuyens tried to chase their own glory. Briefly. "There were some struggles within the team, but not on my side. I had a group around me that I trusted. They were still too ambitious for their own careers and went beyond the plan, but that's all part of it," Boonen grinned.