"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.
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?"
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KerisVroom03-04-2025 - If he's very lucky maybe he can podium a Tour one season, I certainly don't believe he can win it, evervappaxbipmv03-04-2025