Judith Arndt wins Tour of Qatar

Kirsten Wild (Netherlands) sprinted to her second stage win at the Ladies Tour of Qatar, outkicking compatriots Eleonora Van Dijk (Team Specialized-Lululemon) and Adrie Visser (Skil-1t4i) to prevail on the third and final stage.

Overnight race leader Judith Arndt (GreenEdge-AIS) finished fourth on the day, plus picked up valuable bonus seconds at both intermediate sprints, to secure overall victory. Trixi Worrack (Team Specialized-Lululemon) claimed second overall, six seconds back, while Wild rounded out the top-three, 2:06 off the pace.

"With the team just starting out, this kind of success is terrific," said GreenEdge-AIS Sports Director Rod McGee. "They rode really well over the three days. They showed us they were in great condition and really motivated with their wins in January. This win is definitely at a higher level with a bigger field and stronger teams."

The third and final stage of racing in Katara Cultural Village began with strong headwinds, which continued throughout. High winds are normal at this time of year in Qatar but the fact that the start of the nearby Qatar Masters golf tournament was delayed this morning gives an indication of what the riders were facing.

"The girls were down to their slowest speed the whole race at the start," said McGee. "They were going under 20 kilometres per hour. Eventually, it changed to crosswinds, and when the field split all our girls made the front group."

The team led out Arndt for the first intermediate sprint where she took a one-second bonus on offer for third place. Kendall Ryan (United States) off the front on a solo break, took top honours while Kirsten Wild edged Arndt for second. Worrack, who started the day in second overall, only two seconds down on Arndt, did not receive any bonus seconds.

The main group continued to split and regroup in the crosswinds between the first and second intermediate sprints. Arndt handily won the second intermediate sprint ahead of Wild with Arndt's teammate Loes Gunnewijk finishing third, again shutting out Worrack.

"Again, Trixi did not receive any time bonuses at the second intermediate sprint," said McGee. "This was the really important thing. Judith now led the overall by six seconds before the finale."

Arndt, who won last month's Santos Women's Cup, finished fourth on the stage won by Wild, ahead of Worrack, to take the race win and golden jersey. Having battled the elements for most of the day, the riders benefitted from a strong tailwind in the final few kilometres of the stage, finishing extremely fast in an exciting bunch finish. Wild secured the overall points classification after all three stages and Chloe Hosking won the white jersey for the best young rider for Specialized-Lululemon, who also took the team honours.