In the autumn of his career, Tom Boonen gained a third place at the road cycling world championships in Qatar. At the finish he was defeated by new world champion Peter Sagan and Mark Cavendish. For the first time, three former world champions were on a world championships podium together.
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Tom Boonen was disappointed about his third position, in spite of the outstanding performances of the Belgian team. At 175 kilometers before the finish, the Belgians decided to take over control and with the support of the British the peloton was divided in several echelons. In the leading group 6 Belgians were present: Naesen, Stuyven, Keukeleire, Roelandts, Boonen and Van Avermaet.
In the final Tom Boonen had to contend with the outstanding condition of Sagan, Kristoff, Cavendish and Viviani, while the Dutch cyclist Tom Leezer tried to avoid the sprint by placing a decisive attack at 2 kilometers from the finish. The Belgian cyclist Jurgen Roelandts had to do his utmost to catch up. That is why in the sprint for the first place, Tom Boonen had to cope without him.
No major incidents occurred in the sprint. Unfortunately Tom Boonen’s bike chain moved at 30 meters from the finish. Ultimately Peter Sagan and Mark Cavendish were too strong for Boonen. Thus the Slovak cyclist succeeds himself as world champion.
For Tom Boonen this was the last world championship. Next year he will definitively stop cycling after Paris-Roubaix.
