Boonen 'best ever' after Roubaix cycling triumph

Tom Boonen believes that he will go down as the best rider in the history of the cobbled classics after storming to a record-equalling triumph at the Paris-Roubaix. Having already won the Ghent-Wevelgem and the Tour of Flanders on home turf in Belgium this year, Boonen was in unstoppable form in the 110th Paris-Roubaix on Sunday, breaking away 55km from the finish and winning by a margin of 1min 39sec from unheralded Frenchman Sebastien Turgot and Italian rival Alessandro Ballan. In doing so, Boonen, 31, matched Roger de Vlaeminck's record of four victories in the Queen of the Classics just a week after equalling the record of three wins in Flanders. He also has nine wins to his name this year, including four in less than three weeks. "A fourth Paris-Roubaix in this era is unique, and if you have the chance to win a fourth time here then this was the perfect way to achieve it," he said. "I have not really been thinking about the records, I have just been working hard to reach my top level," the Omega Pharma-Quick Step rider added. "Today I was just taking it by cobblestone by cobblestone. "I think if you start thinking about how many kilometres you have to go then you only make it harder for yourself, but it turned out ok." "I am happy not to have had any big crashes yet this season, and if I look back at the last three weeks its amazing. Now I realise that I will probably be remembered as the best ever on the cobblestones."Despite that, he says he still has an awful lot left to achieve before thinking about calling it a day. "My career is not over yet. We will see where it ends," he added. "I just love it. I never have problems training. It has not been easy. There are always ups and downs. This is my 11th season, but in the last few years my love for the bike has grown. "And it's getting easier as I get older." Boonen is already a sporting great in his native Belgium and he was given a hero's welcome as he entered the Roubaix velodrome all alone on Sunday. He admitted that the unique finish to the race makes it stand out from the other classics. "It's the only finish line where you can do two laps, and do the final kilometre with all the people there watching. "There is only one race like this in the world, and so it needs a special finish. "The Paris-Roubaix is almost more about here in the velodrome than it is about being out on the cobblestones." His season may already have reached its peak, but the former world champion's attentions now turn towards the Ardennes classics, including next Sunday's Amstel Gold Race in the Netherlands. However, he was quick to play down his chances in what will be his first-ever appearance in the race, which has been won in each of the last two years by his compatriot Philippe Gilbert. "I dont know that race at all," he admitted. "I have won a few races on the same climbs and I think it's a race that will suit me but its so difficult. "There will be different riders involved and these days there are specialists for each different race." "We'll see. It's a new thing for me and we will see where it ends."