Boonen's 2013 could be over

Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) could be looking at an early finish to his season, as it is speculated that he may need surgery on a saddle sore that has forced him to miss this week's Eneco Tour. 

Boonen's 2013 season has not been his best, with bad luck cursing him with injuries, crashes, and nearly an amputated arm. In the winter he was diagnosed with intestinal problems, and then he narrowly avoided having his arm amputated after getting an infection in his elbow. After a troubled start to the Spring Boonen then crashed at Gent-Wevelgem and again at the Tour of Flanders, fracturing a rib.

Despite sports director Wilfried Peeters noting there was "noticable improvement" in Boonen's condition, the situation is still in the balance and could go either way. Boonen has a doctor's appointment next week, and this is when he will find out what is in store for the last few months of 2013. 

Compared to his 2012, 2013 has been a missed opportunity for Boonen, with his only win coming from a stage in the Tour de Wallonie, but he will not be pushed to try and rescue his year, with Peeters saying;

"Healing is the priority and only when it is so far, can we make statements about his program." 

Next week we will find out whether we will see Boonen at the season's closing events, or whether we will have to wait until next year to see Tommeke back in the peloton.