"I was shocked at how many friends I still have": Cycling icons gather for Tom Boonen's charity cyclocross

Tom Boonen is no longer working on his list of professional victories as the Belgian legend retired from peloton nearly a decade ago. But his name will once again be in the center of attention this weekend with the cyclocross event around Zilvermeer lake in Mol. No, the 45-year-old doesn't plan a competitive comback, but will put his name on the charity event "Boonen & Friends", which will see some of the biggest cycling stars of both present and past gather in Mol to break a bit of sweat while racing for a good cause.

Does all sound a bit familiar? Well, if you've been around for Boonen's best years, you may remember that in 2009, Tom Boonen challenged a few fellow road cyclists to a cyclocross race Mol. It was such a success that several more editions followed, raising money for charity until the final edition in 2015.

But the event has now been revived also thanks to Boonen's friend and former DS from Quick-Step days, Wilfried Peeters. "He came up with it," says Boonen in an interview for Sporza. "It's been 10 years, so we're going to do it one more time."

Peeters (61) himself won't participate, but sends forward son Yannick (29), a former cyclocross professional. However the main attraction is the participation of current road superstars Tim Merlier, Paul Magnier, Tiesj Benoot or former world champion Michal Kwiatkowski. The number of rainbow jersey owners in Mol will be overwhelming with the likes of Alessandro Ballan, Zdenek Stybar, Philippe Gilbert and many more at the starting line. Last but by no means least, participation of French fans' darling and Tour legend Richard Virenque (56) is also confirmed.

Next to a plethora of active riders participating in both men's and women's races, nearly the same amount of participants have signed up for the "former pros" race that will open the exciting Sunday before elite categories.

"I was shocked at how many friends I still have," says Boonen. "I got a lot of calls from former colleagues who would love to come back. And there are some really great ones among them. It will be wonderful for people to see them again. I was honestly a bit worried, especially since my name is on the poster. So I'm really pleasantly surprised."

Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert were also on Peeters' wish list. "I even went to Tadej Pogacar, but he's doing a Gran Fondo in Gran Canaria. Wout is too busy and Remco had agreed to participate, but his schedule is overcrowded. I understand that. And I think we have a good field of participants."

But who's the favorite? "I think Stybar is very motivated," Peeters predicts a top performance from the three-time CX world champion. "Maarten Wynants is also good, and Philippe Gilbert is riding a lot. They'll make each other's lives miserable. Among the pros, Merlier is probably the favorite."

With their cyclocross race, Boonen and his teammates are raising money for Move to Improve, a support fund for children with neuromotor problems. "I hope we can raise a nice sum."

They're hoping to raise that amount that evening with an auction. "We've managed to convince some top artists to create something," says Boonen. "There are some really beautiful pieces among them."