Tom Boonen has been back on his bike for half a week. Hence, the Etixx-QuickStep captain is a bit ahead of the schedule team doctor Yvan Vanmol had in mind after Boonen's in October in Abu Dhabi where he suffered a skull fracture. The injuries still don't belong to the past but the signs are good.

There is even a possibility that Tom Boonen will participate in the Boonen & Friends Cyclo-Cross Race which will be held on Saturday, November 28 on the Zilvermeer beach in Mol. "It is too early to speculate about that," organizer Wilfried Peeters told Het Nieuwsblad. The answer will be given no earlier than November 24 when a press conference will be held.

"We are still 20 days away from that event,” Peeters said. “In that time a lot can happen – in a positive and negative sense.”