Published January 20, 2023 08:02PM
Tom Boonen's legs are immortalized with bronze statue
Retired Tour of Flanders champion stood for three hours on each leg to create the bronze casting for statue on the Taaienberg.
Tom Boonen, who retired in 2017, is the subject of a new bronze statue. (Photo: Photo by YJ/Getty Images)
Tom Boonen and his legs are immortalized in a bronze statue on the Taaienberg climb on the Tour of Flanders route where he so often attacked.
Motorists might be doing a double-take to see a pair of stand-alone bronze legs protruding from the famed Flanderen climb.
“The Taaienberg really became my climb,” Boonen told Het Nieuwsblad. “I was often able to make the race there.”
The statue is called the “Boonen Beenen,” and it’s located in Maarkedal near the top of the Taaienberg climb.
To create the bronze casts, Boonen had to stand on one leg for three hours, then repeat the process on the other.
“It’s not your typical statue of an ex-pro,” Boonen said. “I am very proud. When I saw this proposal, I immediately said this is the one.”
Boonen ended his 17-year racing career at Quick-Step in 2017. Among his big wins are four wins at Paris-Roubaix four times, three at the Tour of Flanders and Gent-Wevelgem, and the E3 Harelbeke a record five times.