Photo courtesy Cor Vos

Race Report via ASO Press Release

In perfect weather conditions despite ever present wind, stage 1 of the Tour of Qatar ended in a bunched sprint. Belgian Tom Boonen once again proved he was the man to beat on a race he’s already won three times. The Omega Pharma-Quickstep rider captured his 19th stage success here and will carry the first overall leader’s Golden jersey of this 2012 edition.

After a very windy Ladies’ Tour of Qatar, the conditions were a lot milder for the men’s event as the World’s best riders gathered at the start of stage 1 under a bright sun and far less wind than on the previous days. For this 11th edition, 127 riders (Clarke (CSS) failed to start) took off from the Barzan Towers including World champion Mark Cavendish (SKY), World number one Philippe Gilbert (BMC), title holder Mark Renshaw (RAB), three-time Tour of Qatar winner Tom Boonen (OPQ), as well as the likes of Hushovd (BMC), Cancellara (RNT), Farrar (GRM) and Pozzato (FAR).

As soon as kilometre 3, Adam Hansen took off on his own. His lead grew rapidly from 25″ at km 5 to a maximum 6’40 at the first bonus sprint (km 28.5) he captured ahead of Hallen (KAT) and Renshaw. From that point on the gap dropped down.

Just after the feeding zone (km 69), as the leader headed back south and the wind blew sideways, the pack broke up into several parts with a group of 29 pulling away. That pack, including Boonen, Cancellara, Sagan and Farrar caught up with Hansen and could enjoy a 20″ lead. They reached the second intermediate sprint (km 82), won by Farrar ahead of Appolonio (SKY) and Maes (OPQ), with a 14″ lead. But all the riders eventually gathered together again at km 83, enjoying a tailwind all the way to the finish.

Decision was to be made in a bunched sprint. Well helped out by his team mates, Tom Boonen flew to victory, his 19th on Qatari soil. The Belgian beat Blythe (BMC) and Sagan (LIQ) to the line. Boonen will therefore be wearing the overall leader’s Golden Jersey for tomorrow’s team time-trial. He also leads the points’ standings while Blythe is the best young rider (White jersey).

 

 

Race Results

Tour of Qatar (2012) - Stage 1

Barzan Towers to Doha Golf Club (143km)
5 Feb 2012
Stage 6  |  Stage 5  |  Stage 4  |  Stage 3  |  Stage 2  |  Stage 1


Stage 1
Position Name Nationality Team Time Gap
1 BOONEN, Tom BEL OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP 3h 11' 32"
2 BLYTHE, Adam GBR BMC RACING + 00' 00"
3 SAGAN, Peter SVK LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE
4 FARRAR, Tyler USA GARMIN-BARRACUDA
5 OSS, Daniel ITA LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE
6 RENSHAW, Mark AUS RABOBANK
7 KRISTOFF, Alexander NOR KATUSHA
8 APPOLLONIO, Davide ITA SKY PROCYCLING
9 VANGENECHTEN, Jonas BEL LOTTO BELISOL
10 WAGNER, Robert GER RADIOSHACK-NISSAN
11 DEMARE, Arnaud FRA FDJ-BIG MAT
12 NIZZOLO, Giacomo ITA RADIOSHACK-NISSAN
13 CHICCHI, Francesco ITA OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP
14 SIEBERG, Marcel GER LOTTO BELISOL
15 STEEGMANS, Gert BEL OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP
16 DEGENKOLB, John GER PROJECT 1T4I
17 SOUPE, Geoffrey FRA FDJ-BIG MAT
18 COOKE, Baden AUS ORICA-GREENEDGE
19 VAN KEIRSBULCK, Guillaume BEL OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP
20 BAK, Lars Ytting DEN LOTTO BELISOL
21 HUSHOVD, Thor NOR BMC RACING
22 SABATINI, Fabio ITA LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE
23 FRIEDEMANN, Matthias GER CHAMPION SYSTEM
24 ISAICHEV, Vladimir RUS KATUSHA
25 EISEL, Bernhard AUT SKY PROCYCLING
26 SMUKULIS, Gatis LAT KATUSHA
27 CURVERS, Roy NED PROJECT 1T4I
28 ROLLIN, Dominique CAN FDJ-BIG MAT
29 VAN WINDEN, Dennis NED RABOBANK
30 BOUCHER, David FRA FDJ-BIG MAT
31 STANNARD, Ian GBR SKY PROCYCLING
32 KUSCHYNSKI, Aliaksandr BLR KATUSHA
33 VEELERS, Tom NED PROJECT 1T4I
34 MCEWEN, Robbie AUS ORICA-GREENEDGE
35 KRUOPIS, Aidis LTU ORICA-GREENEDGE
36 DELAGE, Mickael FRA FDJ-BIG MAT
37 TUFT, Svein CAN ORICA-GREENEDGE
38 PHINNEY, Taylor USA BMC RACING
39 GARDEYN, Gorik BEL CHAMPION SYSTEM
40 WYNANTS, Maarten BEL RABOBANK
41 BEPPU, Fumiyuki JPN ORICA-GREENEDGE
42 KLUGE, Roger GER PROJECT 1T4I
43 VAN SUMMEREN, Johan BEL GARMIN-BARRACUDA
44 BARRY, Michael CAN SKY PROCYCLING
45 KEMPS, Aaron AUS CHAMPION SYSTEM
46 SOHRABI, Mehdi IRI LOTTO BELISOL
47 MAES, Nikolas BEL OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP
48 RASCH, Gabriel NOR FDJ-BIG MAT
49 CAVENDISH, Mark GBR SKY PROCYCLING
50 NAVARDAUSKAS, Ramunas LTU GARMIN-BARRACUDA
51 SCHÄR, Michael SUI BMC RACING
52 FLECHA, Juan Antonio ESP SKY PROCYCLING
53 SHIMIZU, Miyataka JPN BRIDGESTONE ANCHOR
54 HALLER, Marco AUT KATUSHA
55 RAST, Grégory SUI RADIOSHACK-NISSAN
56 OFFREDO, Yoann FRA FDJ-BIG MAT
57 SELIG, Rudiger GER KATUSHA
58 DA DALTO, Mauro ITA LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE
59 WYSS, Danilo SUI BMC RACING
60 MARANGONI, Alan ITA LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE
61 BROWN, Graeme AUS RABOBANK
62 LONGO BORGHINI, Paolo ITA LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE
63 HULSMANS, Kevin BEL FARNESE VINI
64 DE KORT, Koen NED PROJECT 1T4I
65 SINKELDAM, Ramon NED PROJECT 1T4I
66 MCCANN, David IRL RTS RACING TEAM
67 MOURIS, Jens NED ORICA-GREENEDGE
68 BODNAR, Maciej POL LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE
69 GALLOPIN, Tony FRA RADIOSHACK-NISSAN
70 WILLEMS, Frederik BEL LOTTO BELISOL
71 POPOVYCH, Yaroslav UKR RADIOSHACK-NISSAN
72 OJAVEE, Mart EST CHAMPION SYSTEM
73 CANCELLARA, Fabian SUI RADIOSHACK-NISSAN
74 RATHE, Jacob USA GARMIN-BARRACUDA
75 GILBERT, Philippe BEL BMC RACING
76 IGNATIEV, Mikhail RUS KATUSHA
77 KNEES, Christian GER SKY PROCYCLING
78 DEKKER, Thomas NED GARMIN-BARRACUDA
79 KOHLER, Martin SUI BMC RACING
80 VAN EMDEN, Jos NED RABOBANK
81 CRAWFORD, Jai AUS RTS RACING TEAM
82 ASCANI, Luca ITA FARNESE VINI
83 GUARDINI, Andrea ITA FARNESE VINI
84 POZZATO, Filippo FARNESE VINI
85 HENDERSON, Greg NZL LOTTO BELISOL
86 LEBAS, Thomas FRA BRIDGESTONE ANCHOR
87 IRIZAR ARANBURU, Markel ESP RADIOSHACK-NISSAN
88 LEMAIR, Alexandre FRA BRIDGESTONE ANCHOR
89 LADAGNOUS, Matthieu FRA FDJ-BIG MAT
90 TJALLINGII, Maarten NED RABOBANK
91 HUNTER, Robert RSA GARMIN-BARRACUDA
92 SONNERY, Blaise FRA BRIDGESTONE ANCHOR
93 RABON, Frantisek CZE OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP
94 COUTTS, Alex GBR RTS RACING TEAM
95 LODEWYCK, Klaas BEL BMC RACING
96 HANSEN, Adam AUS LOTTO BELISOL
97 RODGERS, Lee GBR RTS RACING TEAM
98 VANOTTI, Alessandro ITA LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE
99 BRAMMEIER, Matt IRL OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP
100 LANGEVELD, Sebastian NED ORICA-GREENEDGE
101 POSTHUMA, Joost NED RADIOSHACK-NISSAN
102 INOUE, Kazuo JPN BRIDGESTONE ANCHOR
103 PENGDA, Jiao CHN CHAMPION SYSTEM
104 LEEZER, Thomas NED RABOBANK
105 HUNT, Jeremy GBR SKY PROCYCLING
106 TIMMER, Albert NED PROJECT 1T4I
107 KLEMME, Dominic GER PROJECT 1T4I
108 CACCIA, Diego ITA FARNESE VINI
109 BERTOLINI, Thomas ITA FARNESE VINI 3h 11' 53" + 00' 21"
110 DE NEGRI, Pier Paolo ITA FARNESE VINI 3h 11' 55" + 00' 23"
111 BENENATI, Cristiano ITA FARNESE VINI 3h 12' 01" + 00' 29"
112 YOSHIDA, Hayato JPN BRIDGESTONE ANCHOR 3h 12' 03" + 00' 31"
113 AVERY, Clinton NZL CHAMPION SYSTEM 3h 12' 05" + 00' 33"
114 SYS, Klaas BEL BRIDGESTONE ANCHOR 3h 12' 09" + 00' 37"
115 VANDENBERGH, Stijn BEL OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP
116 FISCHER, Murilo Antonio BRA GARMIN-BARRACUDA 3h 12' 16" + 00' 44"
117 BAUER, Jack NZL GARMIN-BARRACUDA
118 DEBUSSCHERE, Jens BEL LOTTO BELISOL
119 DAVIS, Allan AUS ORICA-GREENEDGE 3h 12' 36" + 01' 04"
120 GANG, Xu CHN CHAMPION SYSTEM 3h 14' 26" + 02' 54"
121 GALIMZYANOV, Denis RUS KATUSHA
122 NISHIZONO, Ryota JPN BRIDGESTONE ANCHOR
123 HUANG, Chin-Lung TPE RTS RACING TEAM 3h 14' 50" + 03' 18"
124 HUANG, Wang Chung TPE RTS RACING TEAM 3h 24' 10" + 12' 38"
125 KUDENTSOV, Sergey RUS RTS RACING TEAM
126 CHANG, Wei Kei TPE RTS RACING TEAM
127 VERMELTFOORT, Coen NED RABOBANK DNF
128 CLARKE, Will AUS CHAMPION SYSTEM DNS

General Classification After Stage 1
Position Name Nationality Team Time Gap
1 BOONEN, Tom BEL OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP 3h 11' 22"
2 BLYTHE, Adam GBR BMC RACING 3h 11' 26" + 00' 04"
3 SAGAN, Peter SVK LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE 3h 11' 28" + 00' 06"
4 FARRAR, Tyler USA GARMIN-BARRACUDA 3h 11' 29" + 00' 07"
5 HANSEN, Adam AUS LOTTO BELISOL
6 APPOLLONIO, Davide ITA SKY PROCYCLING 3h 11' 30" + 00' 08"
7 HALLER, Marco AUT KATUSHA
8 RENSHAW, Mark AUS RABOBANK 3h 11' 31" + 00' 09"
9 MAES, Nikolas BEL OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP
10 OSS, Daniel ITA LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE 3h 11' 32" + 00' 10"
11 KRISTOFF, Alexander NOR KATUSHA
12 VANGENECHTEN, Jonas BEL LOTTO BELISOL
13 WAGNER, Robert GER RADIOSHACK-NISSAN
14 DEMARE, Arnaud FRA FDJ-BIG MAT
15 NIZZOLO, Giacomo ITA RADIOSHACK-NISSAN
16 CHICCHI, Francesco ITA OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP
17 SIEBERG, Marcel GER LOTTO BELISOL
18 STEEGMANS, Gert BEL OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP
19 DEGENKOLB, John GER PROJECT 1T4I
20 SOUPE, Geoffrey FRA FDJ-BIG MAT
21 COOKE, Baden AUS ORICA-GREENEDGE
22 VAN KEIRSBULCK, Guillaume BEL OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP
23 BAK, Lars Ytting DEN LOTTO BELISOL
24 HUSHOVD, Thor NOR BMC RACING
25 SABATINI, Fabio ITA LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE
26 FRIEDEMANN, Matthias GER CHAMPION SYSTEM
27 ISAICHEV, Vladimir RUS KATUSHA
28 EISEL, Bernhard AUT SKY PROCYCLING
29 SMUKULIS, Gatis LAT KATUSHA
30 CURVERS, Roy NED PROJECT 1T4I
31 ROLLIN, Dominique CAN FDJ-BIG MAT
32 VAN WINDEN, Dennis NED RABOBANK
33 BOUCHER, David FRA FDJ-BIG MAT
34 STANNARD, Ian GBR SKY PROCYCLING
35 KUSCHYNSKI, Aliaksandr BLR KATUSHA
36 VEELERS, Tom NED PROJECT 1T4I
37 MCEWEN, Robbie AUS ORICA-GREENEDGE
38 KRUOPIS, Aidis LTU ORICA-GREENEDGE
39 DELAGE, Mickael FRA FDJ-BIG MAT
40 TUFT, Svein CAN ORICA-GREENEDGE
41 PHINNEY, Taylor USA BMC RACING
42 GARDEYN, Gorik BEL CHAMPION SYSTEM
43 WYNANTS, Maarten BEL RABOBANK
44 BEPPU, Fumiyuki JPN ORICA-GREENEDGE
45 KLUGE, Roger GER PROJECT 1T4I
46 VAN SUMMEREN, Johan BEL GARMIN-BARRACUDA
47 BARRY, Michael CAN SKY PROCYCLING
48 KEMPS, Aaron AUS CHAMPION SYSTEM
49 SOHRABI, Mehdi IRI LOTTO BELISOL
50 RASCH, Gabriel NOR FDJ-BIG MAT
51 CAVENDISH, Mark GBR SKY PROCYCLING
52 NAVARDAUSKAS, Ramunas LTU GARMIN-BARRACUDA
53 SCHÄR, Michael SUI BMC RACING
54 FLECHA, Juan Antonio ESP SKY PROCYCLING
55 SHIMIZU, Miyataka JPN BRIDGESTONE ANCHOR
56 RAST, Grégory SUI RADIOSHACK-NISSAN
57 OFFREDO, Yoann FRA FDJ-BIG MAT
58 SELIG, Rudiger GER KATUSHA
59 DA DALTO, Mauro ITA LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE
60 WYSS, Danilo SUI BMC RACING
61 MARANGONI, Alan ITA LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE
62 BROWN, Graeme AUS RABOBANK
63 LONGO BORGHINI, Paolo ITA LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE
64 HULSMANS, Kevin BEL FARNESE VINI
65 DE KORT, Koen NED PROJECT 1T4I
66 SINKELDAM, Ramon NED PROJECT 1T4I
67 MCCANN, David IRL RTS RACING TEAM
68 MOURIS, Jens NED ORICA-GREENEDGE
69 BODNAR, Maciej POL LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE
70 GALLOPIN, Tony FRA RADIOSHACK-NISSAN
71 WILLEMS, Frederik BEL LOTTO BELISOL
72 POPOVYCH, Yaroslav UKR RADIOSHACK-NISSAN
73 OJAVEE, Mart EST CHAMPION SYSTEM
74 CANCELLARA, Fabian SUI RADIOSHACK-NISSAN
75 RATHE, Jacob USA GARMIN-BARRACUDA
76 GILBERT, Philippe BEL BMC RACING
77 IGNATIEV, Mikhail RUS KATUSHA
78 KNEES, Christian GER SKY PROCYCLING
79 DEKKER, Thomas NED GARMIN-BARRACUDA
80 KOHLER, Martin SUI BMC RACING
81 VAN EMDEN, Jos NED RABOBANK
82 CRAWFORD, Jai AUS RTS RACING TEAM
83 ASCANI, Luca ITA FARNESE VINI
84 GUARDINI, Andrea ITA FARNESE VINI
85 POZZATO, Filippo FARNESE VINI
86 HENDERSON, Greg NZL LOTTO BELISOL
87 LEBAS, Thomas FRA BRIDGESTONE ANCHOR
88 IRIZAR ARANBURU, Markel ESP RADIOSHACK-NISSAN
89 LEMAIR, Alexandre FRA BRIDGESTONE ANCHOR
90 LADAGNOUS, Matthieu FRA FDJ-BIG MAT
91 TJALLINGII, Maarten NED RABOBANK
92 HUNTER, Robert RSA GARMIN-BARRACUDA
93 SONNERY, Blaise FRA BRIDGESTONE ANCHOR
94 RABON, Frantisek CZE OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP
95 COUTTS, Alex GBR RTS RACING TEAM
96 LODEWYCK, Klaas BEL BMC RACING
97 RODGERS, Lee GBR RTS RACING TEAM
98 VANOTTI, Alessandro ITA LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE
99 BRAMMEIER, Matt IRL OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP
100 LANGEVELD, Sebastian NED ORICA-GREENEDGE
101 POSTHUMA, Joost NED RADIOSHACK-NISSAN
102 INOUE, Kazuo JPN BRIDGESTONE ANCHOR
103 PENGDA, Jiao CHN CHAMPION SYSTEM
104 LEEZER, Thomas NED RABOBANK
105 HUNT, Jeremy GBR SKY PROCYCLING
106 TIMMER, Albert NED PROJECT 1T4I
107 KLEMME, Dominic GER PROJECT 1T4I
108 CACCIA, Diego ITA FARNESE VINI
109 BERTOLINI, Thomas ITA FARNESE VINI 3h 11' 53" + 00' 31"
110 DE NEGRI, Pier Paolo ITA FARNESE VINI 3h 11' 55" + 00' 33"
111 YOSHIDA, Hayato JPN BRIDGESTONE ANCHOR 3h 12' 03" + 00' 41"
112 AVERY, Clinton NZL CHAMPION SYSTEM 3h 12' 05" + 00' 43"
113 SYS, Klaas BEL BRIDGESTONE ANCHOR 3h 12' 09" + 00' 47"
114 VANDENBERGH, Stijn BEL OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP
115 FISCHER, Murilo Antonio BRA GARMIN-BARRACUDA 3h 12' 16" + 00' 54"
116 BAUER, Jack NZL GARMIN-BARRACUDA
117 DEBUSSCHERE, Jens BEL LOTTO BELISOL
118 BENENATI, Cristiano ITA FARNESE VINI 3h 12' 21" + 00' 59"
119 DAVIS, Allan AUS ORICA-GREENEDGE 3h 12' 36" + 01' 14"
120 GANG, Xu CHN CHAMPION SYSTEM 3h 14' 26" + 03' 04"
121 GALIMZYANOV, Denis RUS KATUSHA
122 NISHIZONO, Ryota JPN BRIDGESTONE ANCHOR
123 HUANG, Chin-Lung TPE RTS RACING TEAM 3h 14' 50" + 03' 28"
124 HUANG, Wang Chung TPE RTS RACING TEAM 3h 24' 10" + 12' 48"
125 KUDENTSOV, Sergey RUS RTS RACING TEAM
126 CHANG, Wei Kei TPE RTS RACING TEAM

Young Rider Standings
Position Name Nationality Team Time Gap
1 BLYTHE, Adam GBR BMC RACING 3h 11' 26"
2 SAGAN, Peter SVK LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE 3h 11' 28" + 00' 02"
3 APPOLLONIO, Davide ITA SKY PROCYCLING 3h 11' 30" + 00' 04"
4 HALLER, Marco AUT KATUSHA
5 OSS, Daniel ITA LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE 3h 11' 32" + 00' 06"
6 KRISTOFF, Alexander NOR KATUSHA
7 DEMARE, Arnaud FRA FDJ-BIG MAT
8 NIZZOLO, Giacomo ITA RADIOSHACK-NISSAN
9 DEGENKOLB, John GER PROJECT 1T4I
10 SOUPE, Geoffrey FRA FDJ-BIG MAT
11 VAN KEIRSBULCK, Guillaume BEL OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP
12 SMUKULIS, Gatis LAT KATUSHA
13 VAN WINDEN, Dennis NED RABOBANK
14 STANNARD, Ian GBR SKY PROCYCLING
15 PHINNEY, Taylor USA BMC RACING
16 NAVARDAUSKAS, Ramunas LTU GARMIN-BARRACUDA
17 SELIG, Rudiger GER KATUSHA
18 SINKELDAM, Ramon NED PROJECT 1T4I
19 GALLOPIN, Tony FRA RADIOSHACK-NISSAN
20 RATHE, Jacob USA GARMIN-BARRACUDA
21 GUARDINI, Andrea ITA FARNESE VINI
22 LEMAIR, Alexandre FRA BRIDGESTONE ANCHOR
23 LODEWYCK, Klaas BEL BMC RACING
24 BERTOLINI, Thomas ITA FARNESE VINI 3h 11' 53" + 00' 27"
25 YOSHIDA, Hayato JPN BRIDGESTONE ANCHOR 3h 12' 03" + 00' 37"
26 AVERY, Clinton NZL CHAMPION SYSTEM 3h 12' 05" + 00' 39"
27 DEBUSSCHERE, Jens BEL LOTTO BELISOL 3h 12' 16" + 00' 50"
28 GALIMZYANOV, Denis RUS KATUSHA 3h 14' 26" + 03' 00"
29 NISHIZONO, Ryota JPN BRIDGESTONE ANCHOR
30 HUANG, Chin-Lung TPE RTS RACING TEAM 3h 14' 50" + 03' 24"
31 HUANG, Wang Chung TPE RTS RACING TEAM 3h 24' 10" + 12' 44"

Team Standings
Position Team Time Gap
1 OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP 9h 34' 36"
2 LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE + 00' 00"
3 LOTTO BELISOL
4 FDJ-BIG MAT
5 KATUSHA
6 BMC RACING
7 SKY PROCYCLING
8 RABOBANK
9 PROJECT 1T4I
10 RADIOSHACK-NISSAN
11 ORICA-GREENEDGE
12 GARMIN-BARRACUDA
13 CHAMPION SYSTEM
14 BRIDGESTONE ANCHOR
15 FARNESE VINI
16 RTS RACING TEAM

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