Tom Boonen Wins RideLondon

Last updated : 31 July 2016 By CNS Sport

 2016 Tour De France winner Chris Froome might have created all the interest but it was Tom Boonen of Etixx Quick Step, who won the 2016 RideLondon race.

This annual 200km race around London and Surrey with its finish on the and the biggest one day race in this country attracted a super strong field including Chris Froome fresh from his win in the Tour De France.

Twenty five teams sent riders with Jempy Drucker defending his title and some strong teams from the World Tour teams like Team Sky, Dimension Data, Etixx Quick Step, Lotto Soudal, Orica Bikeexchange, as well as the pro continental and some British teams including a Great Britiain team which included British time trial champion Alex Dowsett, Adam Blythe, the British road race champion and 2014 winner and Dan McLay, the sprinter who normally rides for Fortuneo Vital Concept.

The break was formed at Weybridge after 35kms and saw six riders in Jempy Drucker of BMC, Jelle Wallays of Topsport, Matt Holmes of Madison Genesis, Dexter Gardias, Jonas Rickaert and Jonathan Lastra of Caja Rural go away.

They wee 3.50 clear with 148kms to go when the break was halted by a serious incident further up the road in the sportive that was taken part by 37,048 riders, and massive crowds in Dorking High Street.

After a 25 minute delay, the six leaders were allowed on their way and started on an unclassified climb at Staples Lane.

The gap dropped slightly with 139km to go to 3.43 and then 3.40.

Gardias was first over the climb at Leith Hill as the gap stood as 3.18 with 109.3kms to go.

A crash took down a number of riders including some from the Rwanda team as the pace being set by Team Sky ramped up and saw the gap drop to 2.55 with a hundred kilometres remaining. 

Holmes, the British rider in the break, took the Ranmoore Common climb and the six points on offer with Jonathan Lastra taking the first sprint at Dorking with Rickaert taking the second which was also in Dorking.

Team Sky send Geraint Thomas up the road to try and bring back the peloton who were only 1.16 ahead with 85.4kms to go and the Welshman did just that and caught up to Gardias who had dropped off the front pace, with Ian Stannard joining Thomas. 

Chris Froome was in a group of twenty riders including four BMC riders a bit further down the road. as Geraint Thomas and Ian Stannard took got to within 56 seconds of thre front four.

Holmes took the climb at Ranmoore Common again and with 65.7km left, Stannard, Thomas and Pat Bevin of Cannondale joined the four up front.

Lastra took the next two sprints which were also at Dorking and took his points tally to eighteen before the leaders embarked on the ride back to London.

Thomas got himself into time-trialling mode and left the rest of the break trailing in his wake.

Drucker worked to try and bring back Thomas but with 37.7kms to go, the gap stood at 39 seconds and 3.36 to the peloton.

A kick from Thomas saw him extend his lead to 53 seconds and 1.01 with twenty kilometres left to Stannard's group and 2.00 to the peloton who started to put the hammer down as they rode towards Putney Heath.

Ian Stannard set off after Thomas in Wimbledon and was 35 seconds behind him with ten kilometres to go. 

Thomas and Froome were caught and it was Tom Boonen who took the win in 4.43.56 ahead of Mark Renshaw of Dimension Data and Michael Matthews of Orica Bikeexchange.

Boonen told CNS Sport:  "We went full gas all day. I was dropped two times and punctured one time and got stuck behind some guys who were dropped, so it took a lot of energy to get back on.

"At the point I got back on in the group, there were 80 guys in there. We did an incredible job chasing everyone one and then got ready for the sprint in the last five kilometres."

 "I felt confident because I did a few sprints last week and so I’m happy with this win. It’s the first rime in a while that I’ve beaten these guys. It’s looking good for the next few races."