Tour of Qatar: Boonen wins on stage 2

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The victory fell to Tom Boonen and the gold jersey remained with Niki Terpstra, but the story of stage 2 of the Tour of Qatar was the startling collective strength of their Omega Pharma-QuickStep team, who split the peloton to pieces in the crosswinds in the finale.

The men in black’s mastery of the conditions was such that at one point, all eight of their number were in the leading echelon of 20 riders that formed in the final 40 kilometres. While a resolute Tinkoff-Saxo delegation was also prominent in the move, the Omega Pharma-QuickStep strongmen were its real drivers. Boonen and company appeared on another level to everybody else, and they duly took sole command of the pace-setting on the approach to the finish at Al Khor Corniche.

Once on the sea front, the sprint was something of a formality, as Terpstra and Andy Fenn provided a pitch perfect lead-out for Boonen. Though Jurgen Roelandts (Lotto-Belisol) put up stout resistance, neither he nor second-placed Michael Mørkøv (Tinkoff-Saxo) could match Boonen in the power sprint against the wind.

“I think everybody was dead by the end, because when there were only four or five of us who did the sprint, the rest were all left behind in the finishing straight,” said Boonen, who himself finished several bike lengths clear of Mørkøv.

Boonen’s biggest fright in the finale came from his bike rather than a sprint opponent. He damaged his wheels and dislodged his saddle after hitting a pot hole with 5km to race, but his running repairs kept him in contention. “My saddle went down about 4cm, and was pointing downwards,” he said. “I was super lucky that I didn't have a flat tyre or crash.”

The win was Boonen’s first of the new season and the first of any description since he claimed a stage of the Tour de Wallonie last July. Rather than relief, however, the Belgian saw the win as a mere confirmation. After an injury-free winter and a solid start to the year at the Tour de San Luis, he is confident that he is on track for the spring classics.

“It’s a good feeling, for sure, but I already knew after Argentina that my form was really good,” Boonen said. “If everything goes well in the next few weeks, then I should be capable of reaching my top level.”

Roelandts admitted afterwards that there was little to be done against Boonen and his ominously strong Omega Pharma-QuickStep guard. “You could feel it when they did the turns on the front in the finale, they were producing a lot of power,” he told Cyclingnews.

Roelandts was one of the happy few who had the legs and the nous to board the Omega Pharma-QuickStep bus. Others to stamp their tickets included the Sky trio of Luke Rowe, Ian Stannard and Bernhard Eisel, Lars Boom (Belkin) and Tinkoff-Saxo’s quartet of Mørkøv, Matti Breschel, Karsten Kroon and Christopher Juul Jensen.

Among those to miss out and wind up in the chasing group were André Greipel (Lotto-Belisol), who gamely tried to lead the pursuit, Philippe Gilbert (BMC) and Arnaud Démare (FDJ.fr). Fabian Cancellara (Trek), meanwhile, rolled home in the fourth group on the road, over seven minutes down.

In the overall standings, Roelandts has succeeded in cutting Terpstra’s lead to 5 seconds, while Boonen moves up to third, 14 seconds down. With a ten kilometre time trial to come at Lusail on Tuesday, Michael Mørkøv, 4th at 20 seconds, remains a threat to the gold jersey.

Gilbert’s early move

The stiff northerly breeze and constant changes in direction meant that the day’s stage was always likely to end with the peloton scattered across the desert, and the rapid start to proceedings was a precursor of things to come, as Omega Pharma-QuickStep and Tinkoff-Saxo set a vicious pace upon leaving the Camel Race Track.

The first break of the day was a surprising one, however, as Philippe Gilbert (BMC) clipped off the front after 25 kilometres with UnitedHealthcare’s Kiel Reijnen for company. At one point, their lead extended beyond the minute mark, but though neither rider looked particularly comfortable, the bunch was unwilling to let them disappear up the road, and the move fizzled out shortly before the first intermediate sprint (37.5km).

The pace remained brisk thereafter, ahead of the pyrotechnics in the finale. Before the off, Omega Pharma-QuickStep directeur sportif Wilfried Peeters had uttered one vital instruction to his riders: “Kilometre 113.” He was referring to a sharp right-hand turn with a shade under 50 kilometres to go, but even before that point, his were steadily massing at the front.

Aided and abetted by Tinkoff-Saxo, QuickStep forced the major split with 40 kilometres remaining, revelling in the tail-crosswind that buffeted the peloton on the approach to the finish. Greipel and those caught behind managed to hold the gap to within 20 seconds for over 25 kilometres, but try as they might, they simply could not latch onto the coattails of the Omega Pharma-QuickStep group. A familiar refrain at the Tour of Qatar.

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