Other meanings of Lars Boom
Cycling
Lars Boom (born 30 December 1985) is a Dutch former professional cyclist who excelled in both cyclocross and road racing. He won the world cyclocross championship in 2008 and claimed multiple national titles, as well as stage victories in the Tour de France and Vuelta a España.
Boom began his career in cyclocross, a discipline in which he won the junior world title in 2003 and the under-23 world title in 2005. He turned professional with the Rabobank Continental team in 2005, balancing road and cyclocross commitments. His breakthrough came in 2008 when he won the elite men's world cyclocross championship in Treviso, Italy, defeating Sven Nys and Lars Petrus.1 That same year he also won the Dutch national cyclocross title, a feat he repeated in 2009 and 2010.
On the road, Boom won the under-23 time trial world title in 2005 and the Dutch national time trial championship in 2008.2 He took his first Grand Tour stage win at the 2009 Vuelta a España, and in 2010 he won a stage of the Tour de France, wearing the yellow jersey briefly.3 His most notable road victory came in 2014 when he won the fifth stage of the Tour de France on the cobbles of the Paris–Roubaix route, a performance widely praised for its tactical brilliance. He also won the Dutch national road race title in 2014.
After 2014, Boom's results declined due to injuries and illness, though he continued to compete at a professional level until 2019. He rode for teams including Belkin, LottoNL–Jumbo, and Roompot–Charles. In 2018, he won the Dutch national gravel championship, a niche event that highlighted his versatility. He retired from professional cycling in 2019, citing a lack of motivation and persistent physical issues.
Boom's 2014 Tour de France stage win was notable because he attacked on the final cobbled sector, a move that surprised many favorites. He also competed in mountain biking, winning the Dutch national title in 2016. In 2017, he participated in the UCI Road World Championships team time trial, helping his team finish fourth. Boom's cyclocross rivalry with Nys and Albert was intense, but he also had a reputation for sportsmanship, once waiting for a crashed opponent. After retiring, he became a cycling commentator for Dutch television.
Lars Boom's career is a rare example of a rider who achieved world-class success in both cyclocross and road racing, with his 2014 Tour de France stage win on cobbles cementing his legacy.
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