"The only time I almost fought with Niki Terpstra" - 10 years after, how does Tom Boonen recall Quick-Step's famous blunder against Ian Stannard?
Cycling
10 years ago, Soudal - Quick-Step had three riders at the head of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, and were defeated by (at the time) Team Sky's Ian Stannard. The race went on to become one of modern cycling's biggest moments and most unlikely wins. Tom Boonen, part of the Quick-Step group, looks back at that terrible day for the team and how the disconnect between the leaders almost ended in a fist fight with Niki Terpstra.
Ian Stannard is highly praised, to this day still quite often, over the victory he took on that day in the 'Opening Weekend'. Whilst it was certainly a display of incredible strength, the victory was mostly the result of a complete blunder from the Quick-Step riders. Classics legend Boonen shares that within the team there were different views of the tactics.
"Stannard had already been on our wheel for 50 kilometers, so we had already been riding in front for quite a while. At a certain point, team leader Wilfried Peeters came riding next to us and asked how we were going to arrange it, Boonen shared in the Wielerclub Wattage.
"The most logical solution was that we would ride to the finish together and then I would beat them in the sprint. But Terpstra and Vandenberg both wanted to win" Boonen continues. "I thought: let me help those guys now, then I will have perfect teammates in the big classics." However this gentleness gave way to a tactic that led the team into a loss.
"Stijn attacked first. Stannard immediately closed that gap and I knew it was a good moment. I jumped away but after 500 meters I already felt that the best was over. Stannard played that very cleverly. When he brought me back I exploded."
The finale had four riders, and then the Quick-Step riders began attacking. Stijn Vandenbergh went first, then Tom Boonen, then Vandenbergh closed down Terpstra's attack. Despite being the outright favourite in a sprint, there was no protection of Boonen. Stannard himself then attacked and only Niki Terpstra managed to follow him.
However a win was still likely, as Stannard was effectively pulling Niki Terpstra in his wheel. But the Dutchman then comitted an even more fatal error, voluntarily starting the sprint from far despite Stannard having the responsibility to work. Stannard won in the sprint then.
"Instead of Niki waiting, he starts riding in front and pulls the sprint for Stannard because I was coming. That was a real blunder! In retrospect, I should have just banged my fist on the table: I'm sprinting today," Boonen laments. "We were very angry with each other, but that lasted for fifteen minutes. In the evening we just spoke to each other again."
However right after the finish, he says that emotions definitely ran high within the team, and it also ended in a physical fight: "I've come to terms with it now, but that's the only time I almost fought with Niki Terpstra. We were really nose to nose and we just cursed at each other for fifteen minutes. It was really brutal at that time! Because what was going on?"
Read also
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 4visitors 4
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment