Tom Boonen will not start of the Belgian Time Trial Championships in Mol-Postel later today. The Etixx-QuickStep rider suffers from respiratory problems. "I now want to recover for a few days before the national championships," Boonen told VTM.

"It's not so good," Tom Boonen said after Halle-Ingooigem. "I have power, but my breathing is not what it should be. I have to take care of that I guess.

"Tomorrow I won't do the time trial, because I can not do anything. The road race? That's why I will not start tomorrow, because I want to recover as well as possible in the coming days.

"I thought the last few days would solve the problem but I should see if I can do something."