Tom Boonen was forced to abandon Gent-Wevelgem following a crash in the area of the Kemmelberg climb earlier today. Boonen is reported by team medical staff to have a contusion on his right knee and the tendon in the area of the tibia insertion as a result of the crash. Another evaluation will be made and communicated on Monday.

Speaking on the episode, Boonen explained how the crash occurred yet remained taciturn regarding the chances of him riding the Tour of Flanders. "Everybody was looking for good position for the Kemmelberg," Boonen said about the moments before the crash on the Omega Pharma-Quick Step website. "I was waiting in the group for the right and last moment to go to the front so I didn't spend so much energy. At the moment I thought 'OK, this is the time to go', another rider passed me from the right, and so I had to wait for a few seconds. In those few seconds the curb went from zero to 10 centimetres. The rider in front of me didn't see it and he wanted to go. So, I had to react and didn't have enough room to jump on it. I touched it with my front wheel and went down pretty hard. I touched first with my knee and then with the rest of my body. My knee is swollen, it hurts, but we'll see how it reacts tomorrow. Now it is important to keep calm and not try to run before we can walk."

Today’s edition of Gent-Wevelgem saw an aggressive Omega Pharma-Quick Step team right from the start, yet their plans all came to nought. "We started straight away very hard," Boonen said of the race. "I was the first guy to put the speed up high and make it very hard. It split into five groups straight away. It was a tough day for everyone. Actually, at the moment of the crash we had the race perfectly under control. We wanted to have someone in the break after the Kemmelberg for sure. We tried to be there with one or two guys and then we could make a decision what to do. Unfortunately, luck was not on our side today."