Garmin-Barracuda claims team time trial in Qatar

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Garmin-Barracuda put in a scorching performance to win the season's opening team time trial at the Tour of Qatar by seven seconds, beating Omega Pharma-Quick Step and Team Sky over the 11.3-kilometre course at Lusail International Racing Circuit just outside Doha.

The win for Garmin moves Tyler Farrar into second place on GC, but overnight leader Tom Boonen, who won stage one yesterday, keeps the golden jersey. Garmin leapfrog Quick Step into first place in the overall team standings and their Lithuanian rider Ramunas Navardauskas takes the white jersey as leader of the young riders GC.

Once again conditions were perfect in Qatar, with the crosswinds at a minimum and temperatures again reaching the mid 70s. Garmin were the fifth team out and after they completed the course in 12:48, only three teams could get within ten seconds of them. Quick Step were the last team on the course and knew that they needed to finish within seven seconds of Garmin's time to ensure that Boonen clinged on to the overall lead. They achieved just that, but only just. It was a relief for Boonen who now moves into tomorrow's third stage hoping for a change in the weather.

"It was a great effort by the team and I am really happy to keep the lead," he said. "I said yesterday that a top three finish here at the time trial would be a very good job and we managed that. We only lost to a very strong Garmin team and a lot of our guys are young riders so it was a great performance by them. It was very still here again today and I hope that tomorrow the weather changes so that we can have some different conditions. Otherwise we are just in for more of the same and it will be hard to keep winning because of all the top sprinters we have in this race."

There is now only a hair's breadth between Boonen and Farrar, and the Garmin rider admitted his surprise at the strong form he has shown so far in what is his first race of the season.

"It's my first time out this season and I definitely still have a few kinks to iron out so I am really happy to be where I am," the 27-year-old American said. "We've been working on a few things as a team over the winters, including our time trial tactics, and this has been our first chance to test ourselves. That's what these early season races are all about."

When pressed for a reaction to Alberto Contador's two-year doping ban, news which broke as the riders were preparing to start the stage, Farrar refused to be drawn.

"The authorities have made their decision and you have to respect that," he said. "It's not for me to pass comment on it. We are just here worrying about the Tour of Qatar and obviously so far it's going well for us."