Hosking wins final stage of the Ladies Tour of Qatar

Image 1 of 14

Chloe Hosking saved Wiggle-High5’s Ladies Tour of Qatar, and laid down a marker for October’s World Championships for good measure with a sprint win on Doha’s Corniche, while Trixi Worrack (Canyon-SRAM) finished safely in the main peloton to secure final overall victory.

Worrack carried a lead of 17 seconds into the day’s stage, but a concerted attack on her gold jersey from her nearest challengers, the Boels-Dolmans’ duo of Romy Kasper and Ellen van Dijk (Boels Dolmans) never truly materialised.

Van Dijk picked up the bonus seconds at the first intermediate sprint to cement her place on the third step of the podium, while Worrack – marshalled throughout by a praetorian guard that included Tiffany Cromwell, Italian champion Elena Cecchini and Lisa Brennauer – never allowed Kasper out of sight.

“We didn’t know what to expect because the gaps were not so big,” Worrack said afterwards. “We thought they would attack a lot more and we would have to do something and work more, but it was ok today.”

A bunch finish was an inevitability and in Qatar over the years, the odds-on favourite in such circumstances has traditionally been Kirsten Wild (Hitec Products), but on this occasion the Dutchwoman had to yield to Hosking, who delivered a pitch-perfect sprint to claim the stage, after her Wiggle-High5 team had taken command of proceedings on the final two laps of the finishing circuit.

Hosking outgunned Wild in the final 200 metres, while Monique van de Ree (Lares-Waowdeals) held off Anouska Koster (RaboLiv) and Shelley Olds (Cylance) to take third place.

For Hosking, such a consistent performer in this race over the years, it was her second stage win at the Ladies Tour of Qatar after winning on the opening leg in 2013. It also put a different slant on what had been a frustrating week both for the Australian, whose results hadn’t reflected her condition entering the race.

“I think we had to redeem ourselves for the rest of the tour so it’s a big satisfaction for me to cross the line first today. My team were absolutely phenomenal on the last two laps, so I’m very pleased,” Hosking said.

It was an important win for her Wiggle-High5 team, too, given that the galacticos of the women’s peloton, whose line-up here in Qatar included Elisa Longo Borghini and Emma Johansson, had failed to make the race-deciding split that formed in the opening two kilometres of stage 3.

“I think we all had to work really hard yesterday – I don’t think I’ve ever worked harder in a bike race and it wasn’t even for the win,” Hosking said. “My legs were a bit sore today, my butt was a bit sore, and I really wasn’t sure how I was feeling, but the team said they’d ride for me today. And I’m a sprinter – as soon as I get a smell of the line it’s all go.”

How it happened 

The American had hoped for company when she forged clear at the midway point, but after realising that no reinforcements were arriving – Anna Trevisi (Alé Cipollini) and Yixian Pu (China Chongming-Liv) later tried and failed to bridge across – she gamely continued her effort, establishing a maximum advantage of 1:30 over the peloton with a little over three laps remaining.

“When it went up to a minute, I thought I had a pretty good chance and I tried to stay steady and consistent. I had confidence in the work I’d put in,” Rivera told Cyclingnews afterwards. “I tried my best and I wanted to prove myself today.”

As the pace ratcheted up in the final 15 kilometres, however, Rivera’s advantage gradually began to recede, and she was eventually swept up by the bunch shortly after taking the bell for the final lap. From there, a determined delegation from Wiggle-High5, with Johansson especially to the fore, took over, laying the groundwork for Hosking, though the week would ultimately belong to Worrack and Canyon-SRAM.

“We are really, really happy because it’s the first tour of the season and we didn’t know what to expect,” Worrack said as shadows lengthened on the Corniche. “It was a really great team performance, and really exciting for the year to come.”

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews video channel, click here. 

More to come...

Full Results