Tom Boonen abandoned the Tour of California on Friday's Queen stage up to Big Bear Lake after only half an hour. The Belgian was still feeling the after effects of his bad stage one crash.
"It was simply over for me," he summarized his California stage six experience to Sporza. Boonen still had pain all over his body. "I tried to push through but there are limits," he said.
The important part for him is to get ready for his next season goal, the Tour de France in July. "I need to recover completely and then I need to start working towards the Tour de Suisse, my last stage race before the Tour de France."
He will still have some one-day races before the Tour, including the race where he wants to defend his Belgian champion jersey. "After Switzerland I still ride Halle-Ingooigem and the Belgian Championships in Leuven."
Traditionally, most European countries hold their National Championships one week before the Grand Depart of the Tour de France. "We are already at the eve of the Tour start in Rotterdam then," Boonen added.
While Boonen has won stages in the Tour of Qatar, the Tour of Oman and in Tirreno-Adriatico, he collected a string of seconds in some of the bigger races (Milano-Sanremo, E3 Prijs, Tour of Flanders). Boonen will be itching to win the green jersey for best sprinter in this year's Tour, which would be the second time after taking the points classification in 2007.