Stage 21 - July 26th
Montereau-Fault-Yonne—Paris Champs-Élysées (164km)

Stage 21 Results • Final Results • Live Replay
  1. Alberto Contador (Astana) at 85:48:35
  2. Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) at 04:11
  3. Lance Armstrong (Astana) at 05:24
  4. Bradley Wiggins (Garmin - Slipstream) at 06:01
  5. Frank Schleck (Saxo Bank) at 06:04
  6. Andréas Klöden (Astana) at 06:42
  7. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) at 07:35
  8. Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Slipstream) at 12:04
  9. Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas) at 14:16
  10. Christophe Le Mevel (Francaise Des Jeux) at 14:25
Home » Top Stories » Road » » Tour de France

Boonen may struggle in Tour opener

By VeloNews.com
Published: Jul. 4, 2009
Boonen meets with reporters after Friday's ruling allowing him to race in the Tour.
Boonen meets with reporters after Friday's ruling allowing him to race in the Tour.
Photo: Agence France Presse

Quick Step team officials have said that Tom Boonen, admitted to the Tour de France only a day before its scheduled start in Monaco, may have difficulty even making the time cut in the opening time trial on Saturday.

"Tom does not feel very well today,” said general manager Patrick Lefevere. “He is feeling weak, due to abdominal pain and
diarrhea.

"Frankly, I think it’s his body’s reaction to all of the stress he’s gone through these few weeks."

Lefevere said the only immediate goal for the day is for the Belgian champion to meet the time cut, which requires him to finish within 25 percent of the winner's time.

"Tom is a tough, though, and we’ll see how he is on a day-to-day basis,” Lefevere added. “The team has strong riders Sylvain Chavanel and Stijn Devolder, and Tom’s goal is just to get through the time trial and get some rest."

Boonen only learned on Friday that he would be starting the Tour, after a French arbitration panel overturned ASO’s exclusion of the rider, based on his second positive for cocaine in a year.

Race organizer ASO had excluded Boonen on the grounds that his participation would sully the image of the Tour. While illegal, cocaine is not among those substances listed as banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Boonen could still face criminal charges in the matter, but his apparent use of cocaine did not constitute a doping violation. It was on those grounds that the arbitration panel of the French Olympic Committee ruled that Boonen could start the race.

Boonen’s top goal for the Tour is to win the green points jersey, a distinction he earned in 2007, the last time he competed in the race. He was excluded from the 2008 Tour because of his first positive test for cocaine, a decision he did not appeal.