I thought it was great seeing even the chases pop with the pace Boonen was setting. He made himself a legend yesterday.
I saw this from Van Dessel's Tweets during the race, and I thought it was funny. Best part of the race - Flemish commentators arguing like an old married couple: one says it's too early, other says its all good. Then
"It's too soon", "Quit complaining, you say races are too controlled, now he's riding for the record like one of the greats & you complain". I do have to admit, when he and Terpstra seemed to be stuck on a 20s gap, I also thought he had gone much too soon.
I'm pretty sure those were Boonen's big goals for the year, and the team was happy to help him get them. Thought, Terpstra didn't help much on the breakaway, I think he did do a lot disrupting Sky's attempt at an organized chase. I think over the next month, we'll see Boonen transition to more of a support role for the Grand Tour favorites in the team, and maybe even playing support during some of the one-day races left.