Tom Boonen (Quick Step) bounced back from a full year of near misses with a winning performance on stage one of the Tour of Qatar, sprinting to the line ahead of a breakaway.
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Incredibly it was the Belgian’s first win since last March.
The stage was marked by a group of 18 riders breaking free from the bunch in strong crosswinds. Lars Boom (Rabobank) started the stage with a four-second lead on general classification but soon fell back with stomach problems.
In this exclusive Cyclingnews video Roger Hammond (Garmin-Cervélo) gives his take on the stage while there’s highlights from both out on the road and the sprint finish.