Boonen in worlds doubt

ByEurosport

Published 11/07/2006 at 15:13 GMT

Frustrated at being shut out thus far at the Tour de France, Tom Boonen has put his world championship title defence into doubt. Boonen's woes, a scuffle in the peloton, Robbie promises victory for Cadel, and more of your wittiest prose from the caption c

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Image credit: Eurosport

"After the Tour, I will contest more critériums, the Tour of Benelux and the Vuelta to prepare for the World Championships," Boonen told reporters on Sunday. "But if my batteries are running low, I will stop my season and not defend my title at Salzburg."

The two-time defending Tour of Flanders champion went so far as to name his Quick Step replacement if he decided not to defend his rainbow jersey, saying Nick Nuyens would be an "excellent" leader in Austria.

CYCLING 2006 Tour of Switzerland Nick Nuyens Quick Step stage three victory

Image credit: Reuters

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"I am a winner, sprinting for fourth-place doesn't interest me," Boonen said after another frustrating stage saw him beaten by Robbie McEwen at the line in a sprint for, wouldn't you know it, fourth place.

"That yellow jersey cost me a lot of energy, and the team as well," Boonen said in anticipation of Monday's rest day. "Finally a little rest and calm."

Quick Step want Robbie's TGV?

Quick Step have lured Robbie McEwen's superb lead-out man Gert Steegmans away from Davitamon-Lotto with a two-year contract according to Dutch newspaper De telegraaf.

CYCLING 2006 Tour de France McEwen Steegmans Davitamon

Image credit: Imago

Steegmans, who McEwen has taken to calling TGV after he has helped the Australian to three stage wins and the green jersey, has played the perfect front-man for Robbie, who has dominated Quick Step's own sprint star Boonen.

Apparently Steegmans will play the same role for the world champion next season.

Quick Step sporting director Patrick Lefevere called the McEwen-Steegmans duo "the perfect train" and went as far as to suggest they were unbeatable.

"You have to realise that McEwen is super for the moment and that, with Steegmans, he benefits from the perfect train," the Frenchman told Belgian daily La Derniere Heure.

"Nobody in the peloton of this Tour is capable of carrying home his leader like [Steegmans]."

McEwen: Cadel will win it

Meanwhile the king himself has determined that not only will he be able to hold onto this green jersey, but his team-mate Cadel Levans will wear the yellow jersey on the Champs-Elysées to make it a Davitamon-sweep.

"Cadel Evans is going to win the Tour de France," McEwen promised a rest-day Davitamon press conference. "He's the most natural GC rider here in the field.

"The others are time trialists who turned themselves into climbers, or the other way around. I don't think anyone else is going to beat him"

"It's good to have a compatriot in the team, as I understand all of his humour," Evans said of his Australian team-mate, who continues to wear the green jersey.

"It's good for the communication but for the rest it stays the same. In my previous team there weren't any other Australians, but now I have some and I must say I never felt better in a team."

Quit hitting me, quit hitting me, quit hitting me

A bit of cat-fighting in the peloton in the race's early stages.

Philippe Gilbert confirmed to La Derniere Heure that Walter Bénéteau and David De la Fuente, currently second in the mountain classification, have actually come to blows on their bikes.

CYCLING 2006 Tour de France Bouygues Telecom etape 3 Beneteau

Image credit: From Official Website

"They were fighting in the middle of the peloton, three days in a row! When it happened, we tried to separate them, but at the same time, we had to pay attention not to fall," the Belgian from Française des Jeux said.

"To tell you the truth, we still prefer that this sort of fighting happens behind us."

Axel Merckx also saw the spat, and went as far to compare it to the sort of stuff we've seen this last month at the World Cup.

"I know that a few punches have been thrown on our end as well, but there is much less simulation in cycling than in football," the Phonak rider said.

"If you simulate and stay on the ground, first off, you fall, and that hurts, secondly the peloton leaves without you!"

CAPTION CONTEST - Nothing dirty on Robbie's desktop

And yesterday's caption contest yielded some creative entries about Robbie McEwen's internet reading habits.

CYCLING 2006 Tour de France Robbie McEwen rest day emails

Image credit: Reuters

The most explicit, Juan R. Mestas writes "Ah yes, where is that midget naked wrestling website I had bookmarked?"

Most cruel to Tom Boonen, Ken Farrar of Dublin writes, "Dear Tom, Funny old world isn't it, one minute you 're the greatest thing since sliced bread, the next thing you know, I am. Regards, Robbie."

And our personal favourite, Jonathan Lazarus writes about Robbie's perfect partner "....must be fun loving, like long rides in the rain, be able to fix a flat and adore the colour green. Please send muscle-tissue report along with picture (fast twitchers only please). Must love vegemite."

And due to a lack of quality photos on Tuesday, we are using another picture from the rest day, as yellow jersey Serhiy Honchar apparently used his day off for a Ukrainian swimsuit catalogue. The 36-year-old has still got it... As always, send responses to newsroom@eurosport.com.