Boonen skips Tour de France to focus on Olympics

BRUSSELS (AP) Tom Boonen, the season's top one-day racer, has decided to skip the Tour de France to focus on Olympic gold in London.

The winner of Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders says theOlympic road race is tougher than it looks. He thinks he'll have a good chance along with sprinters like British rival Mark Cavendish.

The Tour de France finishes only six days before the July 28 road race, so Boonen will ride in the one-week Tour of Poland, which finishes July 16.

The Belgian says he missed the last two Olympic chances, so he's "really looking forward to try this new experience and try and get the best from it."