Category VII Cycling

Perhaps the biggest potential obstacle standing between Quick Step and victory on Sunday in the Ronde is Quick Step itself. Of course Hoste is looking impressive coming off his win at the Three Days of De Panne, but impressive doesn’t begin to describe the form Tom Boonen is showing these days. And the new champion of Flanders will be bringing the World Championship stripes to what for Dutch-speaking Belgians is already regarded as the real World Championships.

(To interrupt for just a moment, why the hell is one of the featured climbs of the Tour of Flanders, the Mur de Grammont – known in the race by its French name, rather than the Dutch “Muur van Geraardsbergen”?)

But similar to Milram in the run up to Milan-San Remo, a question for Quick Step has to be whether or not it can sort out the competing ambitions of the various captains in the team. Experience tell us it will not be a problem – Boonen showed in San Remo he can be the ultimate team player, and even if Paolo Bettini began the season with ambitions of targeting the Ronde, he is certainly aware that this is Boonen’s turf. There still remains Liege-Bastogne-Liege – the appropriately named la Doyenne, at least for the non-Flemish portion of the cycling population – where Quick Step can give unqualified support to the Cricket.

At the same time, this exposes one of Quick Step’s weaknesses going into the race: the team cannot be counted on again to gamble with the early breaks as it did in San Remo. Similar to Milram in La Primavera, Quick Step may find itself in the position of chasing, not because of a lack of viable options, but rather because of a desire on the part of the captain, the sponsor, and the fans, to see Boonen – and not just a Quick Step rider – win.

Of course the major difference is that unlike Alessandro Pettachi, Boonen is fully capable of making the break himself. He did it en route to victory last year, and he showed he’s not afraid to attack again last weekend at the “Little Ronde” in Harleberke.

So it’s a decidedly small kink in the armor. But give me a break. I mean, seriously, you try and paint a credible picture of how Boonen won’t win on Sunday… Aside from the curse of the rainbow jersey.

Then again, out on the cobbles of the monts, anything can happen. Just ask Skibby. The attacks will come fast and furious, and Boonen will be surely tested. Small wonder that this race over the past years has fast become one of my favorites -- and small wonder as well that the Flemish regard it as the true World Championship.