Boom: Forget Cyclocross

by Chris... on Nov 10, 2009 5:32 PM EST in News Comment 39 comments

OK, not completely, but wunderkinder Lars Boom, 'cross god of past winters, is making a full transition to the road in 2010. From the Rabo Sport site:

"I will ride the Dutch championship beginning in January and also one or two cross races." More really is not [possible? happening?], said the Brabander. "The ['cross] World Cup? No, absolutely not. I want to focus on the spring classics. Providing the management team selects me, I want to ride the Omloop, de Panne, Flanders and Roubaix. And [something about riding the 'cross WC before a full road season]: that will not happen. "
For 2010, the look is only on the road. With what objectives? "I want a step up. It would be nice if I can win two more races than 2009 and especially in big matches. The Tour Yes, I would like to ride it. Obviously I do not quite know if I sit in the preselection. But again I would like to do a great Ronde but also ride the tour. And then a stage win. That would be wonderful."

Works for me. Cross is a cool sport, but obviously road racing dwarfs cross in all respects: money, opportunities, prestige, etc. It's an odd situation that such a young rider could feel conflicted at all about foregoing any portion of his road development, but then not everyone wins the 'cross World Championship at age 22.

Rabo Sport has a video interview with Bauke Mollema up. Why oh why didn't anyone sit me down as a child and tell me to learn Dutch? I blame my parents. Also, "boom" apparently means tree. Hooray for Larry Tree!

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That's Google Translated no?!

if I sit in the preselection..

Haha.. But I think it’s a good choice. Maybe he can do more cyclocross in seasons like Cancellara wise. Long and Hard

What do you fear most?
1. coup d’etat
2. putsch

by Frinking on Nov 10, 2009 5:54 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

If I run anything from a Dutch source on this site

you can assume it’s Google translated.

Isn’t there an injury risk to cross that makes it a bad idea?

"Harder! Better! Faster! Stronger!" Philippe Gilbert

by Chris... on Nov 10, 2009 5:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Uuh.. A cold?

What do you fear most?
1. coup d’etat
2. putsch

by Frinking on Nov 10, 2009 6:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I thought

Boom missed some time last year after a crash in cross??

"Harder! Better! Faster! Stronger!" Philippe Gilbert

by Chris... on Nov 10, 2009 6:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh yeah there is a higher chance for a collarbone breaks and other injuries...

Boom was injured before in ’cross

by Vlaanderen90 on Nov 10, 2009 6:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh and don't forget the Neils Albert accident where he crashed in the pre-ride and ruptured his spleen

by Vlaanderen90 on Nov 10, 2009 6:38 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, and the course doctor told him to ride on....idiot!

Thank the Lord he didn’t.

"If I were World Road Race Champion, I would wear black shorts. That probably has more to do with me being on the wiser side of 30 and understanding better that the decisions I make now never really go away. White shorts would not be something I'd be proud of...." - David Millar, in Rouleur.

by Albertina on Nov 11, 2009 6:18 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Also a video of Menchov

Found here

What do you fear most?
1. coup d’etat
2. putsch

by Frinking on Nov 10, 2009 6:12 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

i have a wonderful vision

boom, maaskant, hoste, boonen and thor as the final selection in the last 15k of paris-roubaix…hopefully this can keep me going until the season begins

"well...you live in england so: you love the rain. loves the queen. hates cycling. based on mr bean had a tremendous amount of humour. all ride in a mini cooper. all getting drunk before the age of 12. getting drunk at least 3 times a day."- frinking, 7/9/09

by benrazor on Nov 10, 2009 9:17 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

If your vision doesn't include Cancellara and O'Grady

I’m thinking it’s a bit blurry ;)

"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'

by Seahorse on Nov 11, 2009 12:26 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

subtract \o/

and add Langeveld, and this could keep me going.

"Harder! Better! Faster! Stronger!" Philippe Gilbert

by Chris... on Nov 11, 2009 12:54 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

...before Boonen storms to number 4 ;)

by Albertina on Nov 11, 2009 6:19 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It's cross's loss, but road's gain

I don’t know if Boy van Poppel is taking the same route. U18 world champ but now seems to be focusing on road development.

I mean uh... hasn't that ever occurred to you, man? Sir?

by Drew... on Nov 11, 2009 7:18 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Roman Kreuziger was second as at the 2004 Junior world cyclocross...

but it really is just something to keep up the fitness and keep it interesting for the youngster. And in the same year, he won the Junior worlds on the road and was 2nd in the TT.

by Vlaanderen90 on Nov 11, 2009 8:06 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yep

Some guys are really happy to make it a career, and a well paying one at a certain level (Nys is into 7 figures when everything is lumped in, Wellens was pulling down 100K at 18), instead of doing 30 hour weeks on the road for 10 months a year. Others, like Boom and Kreuziger, feel the call of the open road.

Two guys I can think of who could mix both were Adri van der Poel and Roger Hammond. Van der Poel had some titanic struggles with King Kelly on the road, and Daniele Pontoni off road. And Hammond was just a hard man’s hardman.

I mean uh... hasn't that ever occurred to you, man? Sir?

by Drew... on Nov 11, 2009 9:01 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Fun event coming up

“From road to field” a ’cross race for road pros on Dec 5: http://www.wegnaarveld.be/v1/?p=36

by tedvdw on Nov 11, 2009 9:26 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

That sure looks like fun

De FIETS en anders NIETS

by Lopex on Nov 11, 2009 10:16 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh this looks excellent fun :-)

by Albertina on Nov 11, 2009 10:42 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Devolder would make a good cross pro

His head-down-attack-without-a-care antics would be perfect. He’d either ride away from the bunch or blow up spectacularly.

I mean uh... hasn't that ever occurred to you, man? Sir?

by Drew... on Nov 11, 2009 1:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Guess who won the under 18 race today

De FIETS en anders NIETS

by Lopex on Nov 11, 2009 3:25 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

OT...who won the cross race in Niel today? Anyone know?

by Albertina on Nov 11, 2009 10:44 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

1 Nys 2 Albert 3 Stybar

Humongous ginormous polemica to break out in Flemish press about the move Albert pulled on Nys on a steep incline, where he cut him off and gained 6, 7 seconds. Crowd started booing him after that, Albert got angry and gesticulated to them once again and was being a very sore loser in the post-race interview where he threatened to leave ‘cross for the road. Said he could now understand how Lars Boom (hey, back on topic!) felt in Hoogerheide [editor: where he was booed by the largely Belgian and therefore hostile crowd]. By the way, Nys wasn’t prepared to put the blame on Albert, said he would definitely give him the benefit of the doubt that it wasn’t an intentional move. Albert himself strenuously denied intent, of course, but his manager said: who knows.

The sprint was beautiful, with Nys psyching himself up in the wheel before the last turn and outsprinting Albert by half a wheel. Stybar crashed halfway down the final lap and was a ways back soloing for 3rd.

by tedvdw on Nov 11, 2009 11:12 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh bah! Thanks for the story though....polemica indeed.

Could be rather fun to watch this one blow up.

by Albertina on Nov 11, 2009 11:23 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Amazing

The most level-headed person in this was the rider who got cut off. Has this ever happened before? I mean, like, ever?

"Harder! Better! Faster! Stronger!" Philippe Gilbert

by Chris... on Nov 11, 2009 11:43 AM EST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

He might not have been so level headed if he hadn't won I guess...

by Albertina on Nov 11, 2009 12:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know but my guess is he still would have

Nys is really very professional. Always courteous and honest, never shoots his mouth off. Also, it was partly his own fault for not avoiding risks by taking the inside line (although I don’t see how it could have been avoided, with him in second and getting up the ramp slightly faster than Albert).

by tedvdw on Nov 11, 2009 12:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes, he has always struck me as being like that,

although I have no idea what he says. I wish I spoke Dutch…it would make being a nascent cyclocross fan so much easier!

by Albertina on Nov 11, 2009 5:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

ah yes

I guess that’s the difference.

"Harder! Better! Faster! Stronger!" Philippe Gilbert

by Chris... on Nov 11, 2009 12:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

"once again"

after getting angry last year and scolding an innocent bridge and the crowd: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylfLPn_CPLQ

Last lap of Niel now up: http://www.sporza.be/permalink/1.633088
The cutting off was before that, not sure if they still included it.

by tedvdw on Nov 11, 2009 11:52 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

How would you like to be the PdC European Cross Correspondent Ted?

I mean uh... hasn't that ever occurred to you, man? Sir?

by Drew... on Nov 11, 2009 1:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I just watched the video from today and Albert really needs to work on riding very steep bits because

in every race I have seen this year, he seems to really struggle getting over the tough little punch climbs when Nys and Stybar can ride over them pretty well. That is how Nys caught up with him at the end because he had to get off on the climb

by Vlaanderen90 on Nov 11, 2009 7:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes, he had trouble on Sunday too...it was the steep climb on which Stybar managed to distance him in the last lap.

Luckily for him he had the strength to come back.

by Albertina on Nov 12, 2009 4:40 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Marianne Vos

Everybody is searching for a second Eddy Merckx and noone notices the female cannibal. This woman is really amazing, wins on the road in sprints and climbs, wins on the track wins in the field…

De FIETS en anders NIETS

by Lopex on Nov 11, 2009 3:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I wish she could TT and climb a bit better so she could win some big overall races...

then she would be the womans’ Merckx

by Vlaanderen90 on Nov 11, 2009 7:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Boom

A boom is also a bar, barrier, gate or pole.

Je kunt me de boom in. = get lost / forget it

De FIETS en anders NIETS

by Lopex on Nov 11, 2009 3:31 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Chris, feel free to contact me for a Dutch translation/check

Anytime! I don’t always read through PdC right away so missed this one, but if you’re writing something and want clarification or translation, let me know! (that goes for everyone, really)

Twitter is probably easiest… http://twitter.com/smaryka

Not sure if you meant Mollema’s interview with the schoolkids eating breakfast? He was there representing Right to Play and talking to the kids about eating healthy, etc. Not much said about Rabo or racing. The last 10 seconds of the video with him riding away on his Dutch bike were pretty classic though!

by smaryka on Nov 11, 2009 3:35 PM EST reply actions 0 recs