Lars Boom (born 30 December 1985) is a professional cyclo-cross and road racing cyclist who was born in Vlijmen (Noord-Brabant) in the Netherlands. Boom rides for the Rabobank continental cycling team. Boom is the current World Champion in this discpline. He has also been the Dutch national cyclo-cross champion in his discipline since 2001 - being the Dutch Junior Cyclo-Cross champion from 2002 to 2003, Under 23 National Champion from 2004 to 2006.

Early wins

During the 2005-2006 cyclo-cross season, Boom who just turned 20 years of age, scored several wins including a win ahead of Sven Nys in the Grand Prix Sven Nys as well as the win in the Vlaamse Druivenveldrit Overijse after Bart Wellens was disqualified for having kicked a spectator. Boom was beaten by Zdenek Stybar in a sprint for the Under 23 World Championships but returned a year later to dominate the race and to win the Under 23 World Champion jersey.

Elite championship wins

For the 2006-2007 season, Boom asked and received special dispensation to ride the Dutch Elite Cyclo Cross championships and became Champion of the Netherlands. In addition to Boom's successes in cyclo-cross, he has achieved success on the road and has won several stage races such as the Tour de Bretagne Cycliste. In September 2007, Boom became Under 23 World Time Trial champion beating Russian Mikhail Ignatiev. In November 2007, Boom won the Gerrit Schulte Trophy as the Dutch cyclist of the year for his two World Championship wins. In the 2007-2008 Cyclo-cross season, Boom won a World Cup event in Pijnacker, a Gazet van Antwerpen event in Loenhout and then became Dutch Elite National cyclo-cross champion for the second time. After that, he also won the World Cup races in Lievin and Hoogerheide. He went into the world championships in Treviso 2008 as big favourite and didn't fail, he won the race and became the second rider after Radomír Šimůnek to win the world title in all categories (Junior, Espoir and Elite).

2008 season

During the 2008 road season, Boom continued his progression on the road despite a successful cyclocross season. On his third day of racing on the road, he won the third stage of the Tour de Bretagne cycliste in Fréhel. Boom also won the sixth stage time trial. Boom then dominated the oldest stage race in the Netherlands - the Olympia's Tour. After competing in two stage races in Spain in which he won the first and won three stages in the second, Boom returned to the Netherlands where he won the Dutch national championships for elite riders.

Career highlights

2001

1st in Dutch National Cyclo-cross Championships, juniors2002

1st in Dutch National Cyclo-cross Championships, juniors2003

1st in Dutch National Cyclo-cross Championships, juniors

1st in Cyclo-cross World championships, juniors2004

1st in Dutch National Cyclo-cross Championships, u23s

3rd in overall rankings Circuit de Mines

1st in 2nd stage Triptyque Ardennais

1st in Cyclo-cross Ruddervoorde, u23s

1st in European Cyclo-cross championships, u23s2005

1st in Dutch National Cyclo-cross Championships, u23s

2nd in overall rankings Hessen Rundfahrt

1st in overall rankings Triptyque des Barrages, u23s

1st in 2nd stage Tour de la Somme

1st in Cyclo-cross Amersfoort

1st in Cyclo-cross Veldhoven

1st in Cyclo-cross Overijse2006

1st in Grand Prix Sven Nys

1st in Dutch National Cyclo-cross Championships, u23s

1st in Grand Prix Adrie van der Poel, u23s

2nd in Cyclo-cross World championships, u23s

1st in 3rd stage Volta ao Distrito de Santarem

1st in overall rankings Volta ao Distrito de Santarem

3rd in overall rankings Ronde van Midden-Brabant

1st in overall rankings Le Triptyque des Monts et Châteaux, u23s

2nd in Dutch national road time trial championships, u23s2007

2nd in Grand Prix Sven Nys

1st in Dutch National Cyclo-cross Championships

1st in Grand Prix Adrie van der Poel, u23s

1st in UCI Cyclo-cross World Championchips, u23s

1st in Omloop der Kempen (1.2)

1st in UCI Road World Championships Time Trial, u23s

1st in UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup # 3 Veldrit Pijnacker

1st in GVA Trophy cross #5 Azencross in Cyclo-cross Loenhout

1st prologue & 2 stages, Olympia's Tour

1st prologue, 1 stage & overall Tour de Bretagne Cycliste

1st prologue Tour de Normandie

3rd on stage 4 & overall Tour du Poitou-Charentes2008

World Cyclo-Cross Champion

1st in Dutch National Cyclo-cross Championships

1st, World Cup-races in Cyclo-cross Liévin & Grand Prix Adri van der Poel

1st, stage 3 & stage 6 Tour de Bretagne Cycliste

1st Overall, Stages 7 & 8, Olympia's Tour

1st Overall, Stage 5, Volta a Lleida

1st in stage 1, 5a and 7 Circuito Montañés

1st in Dutch National Road Race Championship

1st, stage 4 Vuelta Ciclista a León

1st in Dutch National Time Trial Championship

References

External links

• Official website in English
• Dewielersite profile