Cavendish roars to victory at Al Khor Corniche

Great Britain’s Mark Cavendish (Team Sky) sprinted to victory in the penultimate stage of the 2012 Tour of Qatar on Thursday, using his positional instincts and the help of his teammates to make a decisive dash for the line in a crowded bunch finish.

It was Cavendish’s second victory this week, having won stage three on Tuesday, and it more than made up for the disappointment of yesterday when he trailed home in 31st place. Seven of the remaining nine top 10 spots were taken by young riders, with Liquigas-Canondale duo Daniel Oss and Peter Sagan claiming the remaining podium spots.

Cavendish moves up to seventh in the GC with one stage to go but remains more than a minute adrift of Belgium’s Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), who retained the golden jersey by a margin of 31 seconds from Garmin-Barracuda’s Taylor Farrar despite his worst finish (13th) of the week.

“I’m really happy to have won," Cavendish said. "It’s my second stage win here this week, and my team did a great job protecting me and keeping me up there for the final push. It’s a strong team that wants to do well, wants to win the sprints and the classics. It’s a team that can ride well in the wind and in the final, so it’s really good for us.”

After two wins and two second places in the four previous stages, Boonen was upstaged today but stayed close enough to consolidate his GC lead over Farrar, who was one place behind the Belgian in 14th place.

“I told the guys today that we could control the stage as a team,” Boonen said. “Over the last few days we have really been helped by Garmin and so we hadn’t expended too much energy. Today I wanted to be really comfortable at the head of the peloton.

“Everybody was very fresh in the final so it made for a very hectic finish. This finish line has been good to me and it has been bad to me in the past. There are seven kinks, and you have to be in the correct position. I was almost getting to the front but got blocked on the left side. But the most important thing for today was to consolidate the golden jersey for tomorrow and preserve the good work we have done this week.”

Stage five started just after noon at the Camel Race Track in the arid and dusty interior of the country, and the riders were greeted by dozens of camels as they made their last minute preparations. Aided by a tailwind, the riders sped through more than 52kms in the first hour of racing. A breakaway group of five riders opened up a sizable gap of 2:40 approaching the first intermediate sprint, which was won by Aliaksandr Kuchynski (Katusha) ahead of Thomas Bertolini (Farense Vini-Selle Italia) and Maciej Bodnar (Liquigas-Canondale).

The five riders were still clear at the second sprint, which came at the 124km mark and was won by RadioShack Nissan’s Robert Wagner. In the last 10 kilometres, the peloton closed together and the stage was set for a bunch sprint at the end of the 160km stage, which is the longest of the race.

Boonen moved to the inside menacingly but found his momentum checked at a critical stage, and as all eyes were focussed on the race leader Cavendish, who swept clear 200 metres from the finish and held his arms aloft triumphantly in his trademark celebration.

The stage was marred by several crashes, the worst of which came just before the riders turned onto north road. It resulted in a broken collarbone for Filippo Pozzato (Farense Vini-Selle Italia) as several other riders, including Thor Hushovd (BMC), ended up on the tarmac.

“The last few kilometres were very hectic and everyone was nervous,” Cavendish said. “There was a bit of wind but not enough to break us up so there was a big peloton left at the finish and everybody fancied their chances. It was very chaotic, and there were a few crashes and I hope that nobody is hurt from them."

The 11th Tour of Qatar concludes tomorrow after the 120km sixth stage from the Sealine Beach Resort to the Doha Corniche. It appears that only a crash, and injury or a major mechanical failure can stop Boonen from securing a fourth win in the GC. But the best young rider's jersey is still very much up for grabs, with just five seconds separating current holder Ramunas Navardauskas (Garmin-Barracuda) and Adam Blythe (BMC).

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Full Results
1Mark Cavendish (GBr) Sky Procycling3:30:40
2Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas-CannondaleRow 1 - Cell 2
3Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-CannondaleRow 2 - Cell 2
4John Degenkolb (Ger) Project 1t4iRow 3 - Cell 2
5Rüdiger Selig (Ger) KatushaRow 4 - Cell 2
6Allan Davis (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling TeamRow 5 - Cell 2
7Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ-BigMatRow 6 - Cell 2
8Andrea Guardini (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle ItaliaRow 7 - Cell 2
9Denis Galimzyanov (Rus) KatushaRow 8 - Cell 2
10Gregory Henderson (NZl) Lotto Belisol TeamRow 9 - Cell 2
11Mark Renshaw (Aus) RabobankRow 10 - Cell 2
12Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Lotto Belisol TeamRow 11 - Cell 2
13Tom Boonen (Bel) Omega Pharma-QuickStepRow 12 - Cell 2
14Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-BarracudaRow 13 - Cell 2
15Aaron Kemps (Aus) Champion SystemRow 14 - Cell 2
16Alexander Kristoff (Nor) KatushaRow 15 - Cell 2
17Gregory Rast (Swi) RadioShack-NissanRow 16 - Cell 2
18Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Garmin-BarracudaRow 17 - Cell 2
19Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) RadioShack-NissanRow 18 - Cell 2
20Aidis Kruopis (Ltu) GreenEdge Cycling TeamRow 19 - Cell 2
21Roy Curvers (Ned) Project 1t4iRow 20 - Cell 2
22Tony Gallopin (Fra) RadioShack-NissanRow 21 - Cell 2
23Tom Veelers (Ned) Project 1t4iRow 22 - Cell 2
24Adam Blythe (GBr) BMC Racing TeamRow 23 - Cell 2
25Albert Timmer (Ned) Project 1t4iRow 24 - Cell 2
26Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack-NissanRow 25 - Cell 2
27Jens Mouris (Ned) GreenEdge Cycling TeamRow 26 - Cell 2
28Dominique Rollin (Can) FDJ-BigMatRow 27 - Cell 2
29Mehdi Sohrabi (IRI) Lotto Belisol TeamRow 28 - Cell 2
30Mickaël Delage (Fra) FDJ-BigMatRow 29 - Cell 2
31Geoffrey Soupe (Fra) FDJ-BigMatRow 30 - Cell 2
32Baden Cooke (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling TeamRow 31 - Cell 2
33Fumiyuki Beppu (Jpn) GreenEdge Cycling TeamRow 32 - Cell 2
34Ian Stannard (GBr) Sky ProcyclingRow 33 - Cell 2
35Gert Steegmans (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick StepRow 34 - Cell 2
36Christian Benenati (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle ItaliaRow 35 - Cell 2
37David Boucher (Fra) FDJ-BigMatRow 36 - Cell 2
38Paolo Longo Borghini (Ita) Liquigas-CannondaleRow 37 - Cell 2
39Yoann Offredo (Fra) FDJ-BigMatRow 38 - Cell 2
40Matthias Friedemann (Ger) Champion SystemRow 39 - Cell 2
41Johan Vansummeren (Bel) Garmin-BarracudaRow 40 - Cell 2
42Koen De Kort (Ned) Project 1t4iRow 41 - Cell 2
43Davide Appollonio (Ita) Sky ProcyclingRow 42 - Cell 2
44Mauro Da Dalto (Ita) Liquigas-CannondaleRow 43 - Cell 2
45Marco Haller (Aut) KatushaRow 44 - Cell 2
46Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa) Sky ProcyclingRow 45 - Cell 2
47Thor Hushovd (Nor) BMC Racing TeamRow 46 - Cell 2
48Michael Schär (Swi) BMC Racing TeamRow 47 - Cell 2
49David McCann (Irl) RTS Racing TeamRow 48 - Cell 2
50Philippe Gilbert (Bel) BMC Racing TeamRow 49 - Cell 2
51Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Liquigas-CannondaleRow 50 - Cell 2
52Gabriel Rasch (Nor) FDJ-BigMatRow 51 - Cell 2
53Mikhail Ignatyev (Rus) KatushaRow 52 - Cell 2
54Kevin Hulsmans (Bel) Farnese Vini-Selle ItaliaRow 53 - Cell 2
55Klaas Lodewijck (Bel) BMC Racing TeamRow 54 - Cell 2
56Frederik Willems (Bel) Lotto Belisol TeamRow 55 - Cell 2
57Luca Ascani (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle ItaliaRow 56 - Cell 2
58Robert Hunter (RSA) Garmin-BarracudaRow 57 - Cell 2
59Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick StepRow 58 - Cell 2
60Markel Irizar (Spa) RadioShack-NissanRow 59 - Cell 2
61Martin Kohler (Swi) BMC Racing TeamRow 60 - Cell 2
62Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Sky ProcyclingRow 61 - Cell 2
63Jonas Van Genechten (Bel) Lotto Belisol TeamRow 62 - Cell 2
64Wei Kei Chang (Tpe) RTS Racing TeamRow 63 - Cell 2
65Lars Bak (Den) Lotto Belisol TeamRow 64 - Cell 2
66Danilo Wyss (Swi) BMC Racing TeamRow 65 - Cell 2
67Svein Tuft (Can) GreenEdge Cycling TeamRow 66 - Cell 2
68Joss Van Emden (Ned) RabobankRow 67 - Cell 2
69Alan Marangoni (Ita) Liquigas-CannondaleRow 68 - Cell 2
70Alessandro Vanotti (Ita) Liquigas-CannondaleRow 69 - Cell 2
71Kazuo Inoue (Jpn) Bridgestone AnchorRow 70 - Cell 2
72Mart Ojavee (Est) Champion SystemRow 71 - Cell 2
73Roger Kluge (Ger) Project 1t4iRow 72 - Cell 2
74Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) RadioShack-NissanRow 73 - Cell 2
75Pier Paolo De Negri (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle ItaliaRow 74 - Cell 2
76Adam Hansen (Aus) Lotto Belisol TeamRow 75 - Cell 2
77Vladimir Isaychev (Rus) KatushaRow 76 - Cell 2
78Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick StepRow 77 - Cell 2
79Murilo Antoniobil Fischer (Bra) Garmin-BarracudaRow 78 - Cell 2
80Nikolas Maes (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick StepRow 79 - Cell 2
81Christian Knees (Ger) Sky Procycling0:00:15
82Maarten Wynants (Bel) Rabobank0:00:18
83Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) FDJ-BigMat0:00:22
84Ramon Sinkeldam (Ned) Project 1t4i0:00:25
85Jacob Rathe (USA) Garmin-Barracuda0:00:27
86Gang Xu (Chn) Champion System0:00:29
87Matt Brammeier (Irl) Omega Pharma-Quick Step0:00:33
88Jack Bauer (NZl) Garmin-BarracudaRow 87 - Cell 2
89Thomas Leezer (Ned) RabobankRow 88 - Cell 2
90Jérémy Hunt (GBr) Sky ProcyclingRow 89 - Cell 2
91Robbie McEwen (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team0:00:37
92Graeme Brown (Aus) RabobankRow 91 - Cell 2
93Thomas Dekker (Ned) Garmin-BarracudaRow 92 - Cell 2
94Diego Caccia (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle Italia0:00:39
95Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team0:01:01
96Alexandre Lemair (Fra) Bridgestone Anchor0:01:30
97Thomas Lebas (Fra) Bridgestone AnchorRow 96 - Cell 2
98Miyataka Shimizu (Jpn) Bridgestone AnchorRow 97 - Cell 2
99Joost Posthuma (Ned) RadioShack-NissanRow 98 - Cell 2
100Hayato Yoshida (Jpn) Bridgestone AnchorRow 99 - Cell 2
101Lee Rodgers (GBr) RTS Racing TeamRow 100 - Cell 2
102Pengda Jiao (Chn) Champion SystemRow 101 - Cell 2
103Jai Crawford (Aus) RTS Racing TeamRow 102 - Cell 2
104Alex Coutts (GBr) RTS Racing TeamRow 103 - Cell 2
105Klaas Sys (Bel) Bridgestone AnchorRow 104 - Cell 2
106Chin-Lung Huang (Tpe) RTS Racing TeamRow 105 - Cell 2
107Dennis Van Winden (Ned) Rabobank0:01:52
108Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) RabobankRow 107 - Cell 2
109Frantisek Rabon (Cze) Omega Pharma-Quick Step0:01:58
110Ryota Nishizono (Jpn) Bridgestone Anchor0:02:58
111Thomas Bertolini (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle Italia0:03:05
112Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC Racing TeamRow 111 - Cell 2
113Dominic Klemme (Ger) Project 1t4i0:04:19
114Robert Wagner (Ger) RadioShack-NissanRow 113 - Cell 2
115Aliaksandr Kuchynski (Blr) KatushaRow 114 - Cell 2
116Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Liquigas-CannondaleRow 115 - Cell 2
117Sergey Kudentsov (Rus) RTS Racing TeamRow 116 - Cell 2
118Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) GreenEdge Cycling TeamRow 117 - Cell 2
119Gatis Smukulis (Lat) Katusha0:05:33
DNSFrancesco Chicchi (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quick StepRow 119 - Cell 2
DNSGorik Gardeyn (Bel) Champion SystemRow 120 - Cell 2
DNFFilippo Pozzato (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle ItaliaRow 121 - Cell 2
DNFBlaise Sonnery (Fra) Bridgestone AnchorRow 122 - Cell 2
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Sprint 1 - Umm Al Qahab, 37km
1Aliaksandr Kuchynski (Blr) Katusha3pts
2Thomas Bertolini (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle Italia2Row 1 - Cell 3
3Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale1Row 2 - Cell 3
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Sprint 2 - Umm Thenaitain Farm, 124km
1Robert Wagner (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan3pts
2Aliaksandr Kuchynski (Blr) Katusha2Row 1 - Cell 3
3Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale1Row 2 - Cell 3
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Points - Al Khor Corniche, 160km
1Mark Cavendish (GBr) Sky Procycling15pts
2Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale12Row 1 - Cell 3
3Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale9Row 2 - Cell 3
4John Degenkolb (Ger) Project 1t4i7Row 3 - Cell 3
5Rüdiger Selig (Ger) Katusha6Row 4 - Cell 3
6Allan Davis (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team5Row 5 - Cell 3
7Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ-BigMat4Row 6 - Cell 3
8Andrea Guardini (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle Italia3Row 7 - Cell 3
9Denis Galimzyanov (Rus) Katusha2Row 8 - Cell 3
10Gregory Henderson (NZl) Lotto Belisol Team1Row 9 - Cell 3
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Young riders
1Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale3:30:40
2Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-CannondaleRow 1 - Cell 2
3John Degenkolb (Ger) Project 1t4iRow 2 - Cell 2
4Rüdiger Selig (Ger) KatushaRow 3 - Cell 2
5Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ-BigMatRow 4 - Cell 2
6Andrea Guardini (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle ItaliaRow 5 - Cell 2
7Denis Galimzyanov (Rus) KatushaRow 6 - Cell 2
8Alexander Kristoff (Nor) KatushaRow 7 - Cell 2
9Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Garmin-BarracudaRow 8 - Cell 2
10Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) RadioShack-NissanRow 9 - Cell 2
11Tony Gallopin (Fra) RadioShack-NissanRow 10 - Cell 2
12Adam Blythe (GBr) BMC Racing TeamRow 11 - Cell 2
13Geoffrey Soupe (Fra) FDJ-BigMatRow 12 - Cell 2
14Ian Stannard (GBr) Sky ProcyclingRow 13 - Cell 2
15Davide Appollonio (Ita) Sky ProcyclingRow 14 - Cell 2
16Marco Haller (Aut) KatushaRow 15 - Cell 2
17Klaas Lodewijck (Bel) BMC Racing TeamRow 16 - Cell 2
18Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick StepRow 17 - Cell 2
19Ramon Sinkeldam (Ned) Project 1t4i0:00:25
20Jacob Rathe (USA) Garmin-Barracuda0:00:27
21Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team0:01:01
22Alexandre Lemair (Fra) Bridgestone Anchor0:01:30
23Hayato Yoshida (Jpn) Bridgestone AnchorRow 22 - Cell 2
24Chin-Lung Huang (Tpe) RTS Racing TeamRow 23 - Cell 2
25Dennis Van Winden (Ned) Rabobank0:01:52
26Ryota Nishizono (Jpn) Bridgestone Anchor0:02:58
27Thomas Bertolini (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle Italia0:03:05
28Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC Racing TeamRow 27 - Cell 2
29Gatis Smukulis (Lat) Katusha0:05:33
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Teams
1Katusha Team10:32:00
2Liquigas-CannondaleRow 1 - Cell 2
3Project 1t4iRow 2 - Cell 2
4Lotto-Belisol TeamRow 3 - Cell 2
5GreenEdge Cycling TeamRow 4 - Cell 2
6RadioShack-NissanRow 5 - Cell 2
7FDJ-BigmatRow 6 - Cell 2
8Garmin - BarracudaRow 7 - Cell 2
9Sky ProcyclingRow 8 - Cell 2
10Farnese Vini-Selle ItaliaRow 9 - Cell 2
11Omega Pharma-Quick StepRow 10 - Cell 2
12BMC Racing TeamRow 11 - Cell 2
13Champion SystemRow 12 - Cell 2
14RTS Racing TeamRow 13 - Cell 2
15Rabobank Cycling Team0:00:18
16Bridgestone Anchor0:03:00
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General classification after stage 5
1Tom Boonen (Bel) Omega Pharma-QuickStep13:21:30
2Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Barracuda0:00:31
3Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa) Sky Procycling0:00:34
4Gert Steegmans (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step0:00:36
5Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Sky Procycling0:00:45
6Tom Veelers (Ned) Project 1t4i0:01:00
7Mark Cavendish (GBr) Sky Procycling0:01:05
8Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack-Nissan0:01:06
9Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Garmin-Barracuda0:01:09
10Aidis Kruopis (Ltu) GreenEdge Cycling Team0:01:10
11Adam Blythe (GBr) BMC Racing Team0:01:14
12Johan Vansummeren (Bel) Garmin-Barracuda0:01:19
13Baden Cooke (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team0:01:20
14Mark Renshaw (Aus) Rabobank0:01:32
15Tony Gallopin (Fra) RadioShack-Nissan0:01:33
16John Degenkolb (Ger) Project 1t4i0:01:40
17Frederik Willems (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team0:01:45
18Thomas Dekker (Ned) Garmin-Barracuda0:01:56
19Mikhail Ignatyev (Rus) Katusha0:02:15
20Rüdiger Selig (Ger) Katusha0:02:16
21Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step0:02:17
22Matthias Friedemann (Ger) Champion System0:02:19
23Philippe Gilbert (Bel) BMC Racing Team0:02:23
24Ramon Sinkeldam (Ned) Project 1t4i0:02:27
25Yoann Offredo (Fra) FDJ-BigMat0:02:28
26David Boucher (Fra) FDJ-BigMat0:02:30
27Maarten Wynants (Bel) Rabobank0:02:45
28Ian Stannard (GBr) Sky Procycling0:02:47
29Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale0:02:52
30Svein Tuft (Can) GreenEdge Cycling Team0:02:55
31Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) RadioShack-Nissan0:02:59
32Klaas Lodewijck (Bel) BMC Racing Team0:03:01
33Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Lotto Belisol Team0:03:02
34Gregory Henderson (NZl) Lotto Belisol TeamRow 33 - Cell 2
35Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ-BigMat0:03:08
36Dominique Rollin (Can) FDJ-BigMatRow 35 - Cell 2
37Koen De Kort (Ned) Project 1t4i0:03:09
38Albert Timmer (Ned) Project 1t4i0:03:20
39Nikolas Maes (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step0:03:27
40Robert Hunter (RSA) Garmin-Barracuda0:03:29
41Murilo Antoniobil Fischer (Bra) Garmin-Barracuda0:03:36
42Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale0:03:41
43Davide Appollonio (Ita) Sky Procycling0:03:43
44Marco Haller (Aut) KatushaRow 43 - Cell 2
45Thomas Leezer (Ned) Rabobank0:03:44
46Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha0:03:45
47Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale0:03:49
48Alan Marangoni (Ita) Liquigas-CannondaleRow 47 - Cell 2
49Lars Bak (Den) Lotto Belisol Team0:03:50
50Markel Irizar (Spa) RadioShack-NissanRow 49 - Cell 2
51Fumiyuki Beppu (Jpn) GreenEdge Cycling Team0:03:52
52Jens Mouris (Ned) GreenEdge Cycling TeamRow 51 - Cell 2
53Martin Kohler (Swi) BMC Racing TeamRow 52 - Cell 2
54Michael Schär (Swi) BMC Racing Team0:03:53
55Danilo Wyss (Swi) BMC Racing TeamRow 54 - Cell 2
56Robbie McEwen (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team0:03:56
57Geoffrey Soupe (Fra) FDJ-BigMat0:03:59
58Gabriel Rasch (Nor) FDJ-BigMatRow 57 - Cell 2
59Christian Knees (Ger) Sky Procycling0:04:00
60Allan Davis (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team0:04:05
61Andrea Guardini (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle Italia0:04:07
62Mehdi Sohrabi (IRI) Lotto Belisol Team0:04:14
63Matt Brammeier (Irl) Omega Pharma-Quick Step0:04:16
64Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) FDJ-BigMat0:04:21
65Roger Kluge (Ger) Project 1t4iRow 64 - Cell 2
66Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) Rabobank0:04:26
67Pier Paolo De Negri (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle Italia0:04:30
68Graeme Brown (Aus) RabobankRow 67 - Cell 2
69Mauro Da Dalto (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale0:04:33
70Aaron Kemps (Aus) Champion System0:04:39
71Joss Van Emden (Ned) RabobankRow 70 - Cell 2
72Paolo Longo Borghini (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale0:04:44
73Diego Caccia (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle Italia0:04:46
74Mickaël Delage (Fra) FDJ-BigMat0:04:49
75Jack Bauer (NZl) Garmin-Barracuda0:04:53
76Kevin Hulsmans (Bel) Farnese Vini-Selle Italia0:04:54
77Jacob Rathe (USA) Garmin-Barracuda0:05:03
78Jonas Van Genechten (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team0:05:05
79Vladimir Isaychev (Rus) KatushaRow 78 - Cell 2
80David McCann (Irl) RTS Racing Team0:05:10
81Roy Curvers (Ned) Project 1t4i0:05:22
82Gregory Rast (Swi) RadioShack-Nissan0:05:28
83Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step0:05:44
84Jérémy Hunt (GBr) Sky Procycling0:05:56
85Thomas Lebas (Fra) Bridgestone Anchor0:06:17
86Aliaksandr Kuchynski (Blr) Katusha0:06:33
87Denis Galimzyanov (Rus) Katusha0:06:42
88Luca Ascani (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle Italia0:06:48
89Joost Posthuma (Ned) RadioShack-Nissan0:06:59
90Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) GreenEdge Cycling Team0:07:14
91Adam Hansen (Aus) Lotto Belisol Team0:07:17
92Thomas Bertolini (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle Italia0:07:31
93Mart Ojavee (Est) Champion System0:08:12
94Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team0:08:30
95Alessandro Vanotti (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale0:08:42
96Alexandre Lemair (Fra) Bridgestone Anchor0:09:50
97Miyataka Shimizu (Jpn) Bridgestone Anchor0:11:08
98Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) RadioShack-Nissan0:11:37
99Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC Racing Team0:12:29
100Christian Benenati (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle Italia0:12:33
101Robert Wagner (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan0:12:45
102Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale0:12:59
103Thor Hushovd (Nor) BMC Racing Team0:13:20
104Gatis Smukulis (Lat) Katusha0:14:11
105Dennis Van Winden (Ned) Rabobank0:15:13
106Dominic Klemme (Ger) Project 1t4i0:16:02
107Jai Crawford (Aus) RTS Racing Team0:16:08
108Klaas Sys (Bel) Bridgestone Anchor0:17:40
109Kazuo Inoue (Jpn) Bridgestone Anchor0:20:26
110Lee Rodgers (GBr) RTS Racing Team0:20:58
111Alex Coutts (GBr) RTS Racing Team0:21:01
112Frantisek Rabon (Cze) Omega Pharma-Quick Step0:21:20
113Hayato Yoshida (Jpn) Bridgestone Anchor0:22:27
114Pengda Jiao (Chn) Champion System0:23:30
115Ryota Nishizono (Jpn) Bridgestone Anchor0:25:00
116Gang Xu (Chn) Champion System0:25:12
117Chin-Lung Huang (Tpe) RTS Racing Team0:29:35
118Wei Kei Chang (Tpe) RTS Racing Team0:40:13
119Sergey Kudentsov (Rus) RTS Racing Team0:44:47
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Points classification
1Tom Boonen (Bel) Omega Pharma-QuickStep45pts
2Mark Cavendish (GBr) Sky Procycling30Row 1 - Cell 3
3Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Barracuda19Row 2 - Cell 3
4Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale18Row 3 - Cell 3
5Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale18Row 4 - Cell 3
6Mark Renshaw (Aus) Rabobank13Row 5 - Cell 3
7John Degenkolb (Ger) Project 1t4i13Row 6 - Cell 3
8Tom Veelers (Ned) Project 1t4i12Row 7 - Cell 3
9Adam Blythe (GBr) BMC Racing Team12Row 8 - Cell 3
10Aidis Kruopis (Ltu) GreenEdge Cycling Team10Row 9 - Cell 3
11Rüdiger Selig (Ger) Katusha10Row 10 - Cell 3
12Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack-Nissan9Row 11 - Cell 3
13Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa) Sky Procycling7Row 12 - Cell 3
14Mehdi Sohrabi (IRI) Lotto Belisol Team6Row 13 - Cell 3
15Aliaksandr Kuchynski (Blr) Katusha6Row 14 - Cell 3
16Robert Wagner (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan6Row 15 - Cell 3
17Gert Steegmans (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step6Row 16 - Cell 3
18Nikolas Maes (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step6Row 17 - Cell 3
19Davide Appollonio (Ita) Sky Procycling5Row 18 - Cell 3
20Allan Davis (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team5Row 19 - Cell 3
21Mikhail Ignatyev (Rus) Katusha4Row 20 - Cell 3
22Yoann Offredo (Fra) FDJ-BigMat4Row 21 - Cell 3
23Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ-BigMat4Row 22 - Cell 3
24Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha4Row 23 - Cell 3
25Lars Bak (Den) Lotto Belisol Team3Row 24 - Cell 3
26Adam Hansen (Aus) Lotto Belisol Team3Row 25 - Cell 3
27Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Sky Procycling3Row 26 - Cell 3
28David Boucher (Fra) FDJ-BigMat3Row 27 - Cell 3
29Andrea Guardini (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle Italia3Row 28 - Cell 3
30Marco Haller (Aut) Katusha2Row 29 - Cell 3
31Jonas Van Genechten (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team2Row 30 - Cell 3
32Denis Galimzyanov (Rus) Katusha2Row 31 - Cell 3
33Thomas Bertolini (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle Italia2Row 32 - Cell 3
34Miyataka Shimizu (Jpn) Bridgestone Anchor2Row 33 - Cell 3
35Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale2Row 34 - Cell 3
36Ian Stannard (GBr) Sky Procycling1Row 35 - Cell 3
37Gregory Henderson (NZl) Lotto Belisol Team1Row 36 - Cell 3
38Robert Hunter (RSA) Garmin-Barracuda1Row 37 - Cell 3
39Mart Ojavee (Est) Champion System1Row 38 - Cell 3
40Alexandre Lemair (Fra) Bridgestone Anchor1Row 39 - Cell 3
41Christian Benenati (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle Italia-5Row 40 - Cell 3
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Young rider classification
1Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Garmin-Barracuda13:22:39
2Adam Blythe (GBr) BMC Racing Team0:00:05
3Tony Gallopin (Fra) RadioShack-Nissan0:00:24
4John Degenkolb (Ger) Project 1t4i0:00:31
5Rüdiger Selig (Ger) Katusha0:01:07
6Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step0:01:08
7Ramon Sinkeldam (Ned) Project 1t4i0:01:18
8Ian Stannard (GBr) Sky Procycling0:01:38
9Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale0:01:43
10Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) RadioShack-Nissan0:01:50
11Klaas Lodewijck (Bel) BMC Racing Team0:01:52
12Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ-BigMat0:01:59
13Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale0:02:32
14Davide Appollonio (Ita) Sky Procycling0:02:34
15Marco Haller (Aut) KatushaRow 14 - Cell 2
16Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha0:02:36
17Geoffrey Soupe (Fra) FDJ-BigMat0:02:50
18Andrea Guardini (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle Italia0:02:58
19Jacob Rathe (USA) Garmin-Barracuda0:03:54
20Denis Galimzyanov (Rus) Katusha0:05:33
21Thomas Bertolini (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle Italia0:06:22
22Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team0:07:21
23Alexandre Lemair (Fra) Bridgestone Anchor0:08:41
24Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC Racing Team0:11:20
25Gatis Smukulis (Lat) Katusha0:13:02
26Dennis Van Winden (Ned) Rabobank0:14:04
27Hayato Yoshida (Jpn) Bridgestone Anchor0:21:18
28Ryota Nishizono (Jpn) Bridgestone Anchor0:23:51
29Chin-Lung Huang (Tpe) RTS Racing Team0:28:26
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Teams classification
1Omega Pharma-Quick Step39:40:48
2Sky Procycling0:00:34
3Garmin - Barracuda0:01:23
4Project 1t4i0:02:10
5RadioShack-Nissan0:02:11
6GreenEdge Cycling Team0:02:33
7Lotto-Belisol Team0:02:37
8BMC Racing Team0:03:47
9Rabobank Cycling Team0:04:02
10FDJ-Bigmat0:04:55
11Katusha Team0:04:59
12Champion System0:06:38
13Liquigas-Cannondale0:08:36
14Farnese Vini-Selle Italia0:08:54
15Bridgestone Anchor0:16:59
16RTS Racing Team0:34:34

Great Britain’s Mark Cavendish (Team Sky) sprinted to victory in the penultimate stage of the 2012 Tour of Qatar on Thursday, using his positional instincts and the help of his teammates to make a decisive dash for the line in a crowded bunch finish.

It was Cavendish’s second victory this week, having tasted victory in stage two on Tuesday, and it more than made up for the disappointment of yesterday when he trailed home in 31st place. Seven of the remaining nine top ten spots were taken by young riders, with Liquigas-Canondale duo Daniel Oss (ITA) and Peter Sagan (SVK) claiming the remaining podium spots.

Cavendish moves up to seventh in the GC with one stage to go but remains more than a minute adrift of Belgium’s Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), who retained the golden jersey by a margin of 31 seconds from Garmin-Barracuda’s Taylor Farrar despite his worst finish (13th) of the week.

Stage five started just after noon at the Camel Race Track in the arid and dusty interior of the country, and the riders were greeted by dozens of camels as they made their last minute preparations. Aided by a tailwind, the riders scorched through more than 52kms in the first hour of racing. A breakaway group of five riders opened up a sizeable gap of 2:40 approaching the first intermediate sprint, which was won by Aliaksandr Kuchynski (Katusha) ahead of Thomas Bertolini (Farense Vini-Selle Italia) and Maciej Bodnar (Liquigas-Canondale).

The five riders were still clear at the second sprint, which came at the 124km mark and was won by RadioShack Nissan’s Robert Wagner. In the last ten kilometres the peloton closed together and the stage was set for a bunch sprint at the end of the 160km stage, which is the longest of the race. Boonen moved to the inside menacingly but found his momentum checked at a critical stage, and as all eyes were focussed on the race leader Cavendish swept clear 200 metres from the finish and held his arms aloft triumphantly in his trademark celebration.

“The last few kilometres were very hectic and everyone was nervous,” Cavendish said. “There was a bit of wind but not enough to break us up so there was a big peloton left at the finish and everybody fancied their chances. It was very chaotic and there were a few crashes and I hope that nobody is hurt from them.

“I’m really happy to have won. It’s my second stage win here this week and my team did a great job protecting me and keeping me up there for the final push. It’s a strong team that wants to do well, wants to win the sprints and the classics. It’s a team that can ride well in the wind and in the final, so it’s really good for us.”

After two wins and two second places in the four previous stages, Boonen was upstaged today but stayed close enough to consolidate his GC lead over Farrar, who was one place behind the Belgian in 14th place.

“I told the guys today that we could control the stage as a team,” Boonen said. “Over the last few days we have really been helped by Garmin and so we hadn’t expended too much energy so today I wanted to be really comfortable at the head of the peloton.

“Everybody was very fresh in the final so it made for a very hectic finish. This finish line has been good to me and it has been bad to me in the past. There are seven kinks and you have to be in the correct position. I was almost getting to the front nut got blocked on the left side. But the most important thing for today was to consolidate the golden jersey for tomorrow and preserve the good work we have done this week.”

The stage was marred by several crashes, the worst of which came just before the riders turned onto north road. It resulted in a broken collarbone for Filippo Pozzato (Farense Vini-Selle Italia) as several other riders including Thor Hushovd (BMC) ended up on the Tarmac.

The eleventh Tour of Qatar concludes tomorrow after the 120km sixth stage from the Sealine Beach Resort to the Doha Corniche. It appears that only a crash, and injury or a major mechanical failure can stop Boonen from securing a fourth win in the GC. But the young riders jersey is still very much up for grabs, with just five seconds separating current holder Ramunas Navardauskas (Garmin-Barracuda) and Adam Blythe (BMC).
 

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Mark joined the Cyclingnews team in October 2011 and has a strong background in journalism across numerous sports. His interest in cycling dates back to Greg LeMond's victories in the 1989 and 1990 Tours, and he has a self-confessed obsession with the career and life of Fausto Coppi.

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