A delighted Brent Bookwalter (BMC) just about holds off his breakaway companions and the closing bunch to take the first stage in Qatar today
Matt Brammeier has gotten his new season underway in what looked like promising style today, Sunday; surviving very well as tough crosswinds and headwinds battered the field at the opening day of the Tour of Qatar.
The national champion, riding for new team Champion System, made it into the front bunch of around 60 rides as some 3½ hours in the wind cut the field to pieces, as is customary in the race through the pan flat open desert sands.
He was caught out a little bit in the sprint and was the wrong side of some gaps opening – losing 11 seconds to winner Brent Bookwalter (BMC). However, the fact he was able to compete well enough to make that lead group against such a quality field suggests Brammeier has wintered well and has a positive mental attitude facing into the season ahead.
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The Irishman also suffered a puncture today but showed he is in good condition by being able to rejoin the peloton and still be in the business end of the bunch when the battle for victory began.
The sprinters' teams were outwitted on the run-in at the end of the 145km stage to Dukhan Beach when a three-man group managed to get up the road with around 10km remaining and just about held off what was left of the peloton on the line.
American rider Brent Bookwalter (BMC) took the stage ahead of Switzerland's Martin Elmiger (IAM Cycling) and his compatriot Gregory Rast (Radioshack).
The race continues tomorrow with a 14km team time trial and then takes in road stages for the rest of the week.
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Tour of Qatar – February 3rd to 8th (UCI 2.HC)
Stage 1: Katara Cultural Village - Dukhan Beach 145.2km
| Position | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team | 3:28:47 |
| 2 | Martin Elmiger (Swi) IAM Cycling | |
| 3 | Gregory Rast (Swi) RadioShack Leopard | |
| 4 | Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Sky Procycling | |
| 5 | Elia Viviani (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling | |
| 6 | Mark Cavendish (GBr) Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team | |
| 7 | Matti Breschel (Den) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 8 | Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC Racing Team | |
| 9 | Heinrich Haussler (Aus) IAM Cycling | |
| 10 | Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) FDJ | |
| 11 | Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr) Ag2R La Mondiale | |
| 12 | John Degenkolb (Ger) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 13 | Aidis Kruopis (Ltu) Orica-GreenEdge | |
| 14 | Roger Kluge (Ger) Team NetApp-Endura | |
| 15 | Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha | |
| 16 | Kenny Robert Van Hummel (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
| 17 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling | |
| 18 | Adam Blythe (GBr) BMC Racing Team | |
| 19 | Murilo Antoniobil Fischer (Bra) FDJ | |
| 20 | Jens Keukeleire (Bel) Orica-GreenEdge | |
| 21 | Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky Procycling | |
| 22 | Mathew Hayman (Aus) Sky Procycling | |
| 23 | Jacopo Guarnieri (Ita) Astana Pro Team | |
| 24 | Tiziano Dall'Antonia (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling | |
| 25 | Niki Terpstra (Ned) Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team | |
| 26 | Marco Haller (Aut) Katusha | |
| 27 | Alexander Porsev (Rus) Katusha | |
| 28 | Tony Gallopin (Fra) RadioShack Leopard | |
| 29 | Rob Ruijgh (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
| 30 | Tom Veelers (Ned) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 31 | Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team | |
| 32 | Dominique Rollin (Can) FDJ | |
| 33 | Luke Rowe (GBr) Sky Procycling | |
| 34 | Baden Cooke (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge | |
| 35 | Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team | |
| 36 | Michael Schär (Swi) BMC Racing Team | |
| 37 | Koen De Kort (Ned) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 38 | Jonas Aaen Jorgensen (Den) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 39 | Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
| 40 | Daniel Schorn (Aut) Team NetApp-Endura | |
| 41 | Yoann Offredo (Fra) FDJ | 0:00:09 |
| 42 | Steve Chainel (Fra) Ag2R La Mondiale | |
| 43 | Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Astana Pro Team | 0:00:11 |
| 44 | Paul Voss (Ger) Team NetApp-Endura | |
| 45 | Reto Hollenstein (Swi) IAM Cycling | |
| 46 | Matt Brammeier (Irl) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 47 | Gabriel Rasch (Nor) Sky Procycling | 0:00:21 |
| 48 | Johan Le Bon (Fra) FDJ | |
| 49 | Markel Irizar (Spa) RadioShack Leopard | |
| 50 | Dmitriy Muravyev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team | |
| 51 | Ian Stannard (GBr) Sky Procycling | |
| 52 | Iljo Keisse (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team | |
| 53 | Gatis Smukulis (Lat) Katusha | |
| 54 | Daniele Bennati (Ita) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 55 | Pirmin Lang (Swi) IAM Cycling | |
| 56 | Roy Curvers (Ned) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 57 | Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team | |
| 58 | Sébastien Minard (Fra) Ag2R La Mondiale | |
| 59 | Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack Leopard | 0:00:27 |
| 60 | Martin Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team | 0:00:33 |
| 61 | Andreas Schillinger (Ger) Team NetApp-Endura | |
| 62 | Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team | |
| 63 | Zakkari Dempster (Aus) Team NetApp-Endura | |
| 64 | Sergey Lagutin (Uzb) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
| 65 | Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) RadioShack Leopard | |
| 66 | Pavel Brutt (Rus) Katusha | 0:00:42 |
| 67 | Ramon Sinkeldam (Ned) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 68 | Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 69 | Sébastien Hinault (Fra) IAM Cycling | |
| 70 | Rüdiger Selig (Ger) Katusha | 0:02:00 |
| 71 | Tom Stamsnijder (Ned) Team Argos-Shimano | 0:02:29 |
| 72 | Nikias Arndt (Ger) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 73 | Kristof Goddaert (Bel) IAM Cycling | 0:16:02 |
| 74 | Stijn Devolder (Bel) RadioShack Leopard | |
| 75 | Kristijan Koren (Slo) Cannondale Pro Cycling | |
| 76 | Christian Delle Stelle (Ita) Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox | |
| 77 | Soupe Geoffrey (Fra) FDJ | |
| 78 | Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling | |
| 79 | David Boucher (Fra) FDJ | |
| 80 | Fumeaux Jonathan (Swi) IAM Cycling | |
| 81 | Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox | |
| 82 | Muhamad Adiq Husainie Othman (Mas) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 83 | Chan Jae Jang (Kor) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 84 | Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) FDJ | |
| 85 | Russell Downing (GBr) Team NetApp-Endura | |
| 86 | Lawrence Warbasse (USA) BMC Racing Team | |
| 87 | Huffman Evan (USA) Astana Pro Team | |
| 88 | Andrea Guardini (Ita) Astana Pro Team | |
| 89 | Borut Bozic (Slo) Astana Pro Team | |
| 90 | Marco Marcato (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
| 91 | Marco Canola (Ita) Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox | |
| 92 | Christopher Sutton (Aus) Sky Procycling | |
| 93 | Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Cannondale Pro Cycling | |
| 94 | Andrea Pasqualon (Ita) Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox | |
| 95 | Julien Berard (Fra) Ag2R La Mondiale | |
| 96 | Daniele Ratto (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling | |
| 97 | Sacha Modolo (Ita) Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox | |
| 98 | Allan Davis (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge | |
| 99 | Marco Coledan (Ita) Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox | |
| 100 | Jonathan Cantwell (Aus) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 101 | Markus Eichler (Ger) Team NetApp-Endura | |
| 102 | Matthias Friedemann (Ger) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 103 | Vladimir Isaichev (Rus) Katusha | |
| 104 | Fumiyuki Beppu (Jpn) Orica-GreenEdge | |
| 105 | Yusuke Hatanaka (Jpn) Japan | |
| 106 | Gediminas Bagdonas (Ltu) Ag2R La Mondiale | |
| 107 | Nelson Santos Oliveira (Por) RadioShack Leopard | |
| 108 | Filippo Fortin (Ita) Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox | |
| 109 | Blaz Jarc (Slo) Team NetApp-Endura | |
| 110 | Andrea Di Corrado (Ita) Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox | |
| 111 | Barry Markus (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
| 112 | Brett Daniel Lancaster (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge | |
| 113 | Valentin Iglinskiy (Kaz) Ag2R La Mondiale | |
| 114 | Hayden Roulston (NZl) RadioShack Leopard | |
| 115 | Aliaksandr Kuchynski (Blr) Katusha | |
| 116 | Yuzuru Suzuki (Jpn) Japan | |
| 117 | Guillaume Boivin (Can) Cannondale Pro Cycling | |
| 118 | Dmitriy Gruzdev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team | |
| 119 | Hugo Houle (Can) Ag2R La Mondiale | |
| 120 | Arman Kamyshev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team | |
| 121 | Anders Lund (Den) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 122 | Stephen Cummings (GBr) BMC Racing Team | |
| 123 | Bobbie Traksel (Ned) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 124 | Davide Appollonio (Ita) Ag2R La Mondiale | |
| 125 | Luka Mezgec (Slo) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 126 | Jens Mouris (Ned) Orica-GreenEdge | |
| 127 | Miyataka Shimizu (Jpn) Japan | |
| 128 | Marko Kump (Slo) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 129 | Chun Kai Feng (Chn) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 130 | Junya Sano (Jpn) Japan | |
| 131 | Yannick Eijssen (Bel) BMC Racing Team | |
| 132 | Karsten Kroon (Ned) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 133 | Kohei Uchima (Jpn) Japan | |
| 134 | Wesley Kreder (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
| 135 | Wouter Mol (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
| 136 | Alessandro De Marchi (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling | |
| 137 | Kazuhiro Mori (Jpn) Japan | |
| 138 | Taiji Nishitani (Jpn) Japan | |
| 139 | Gang Xu (Chn) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 140 | Marco Bandiera (Ita) IAM Cycling | |
| 141 | Pengda Jiao (Chn) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 142 | Matteo Trentin (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team |
General Classification
| Position | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team | 3:28:37 |
| 2 | Martin Elmiger (Swi) IAM Cycling | 0:00:04 |
| 3 | Gregory Rast (Swi) RadioShack Leopard | 0:00:06 |
| 4 | Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Sky Procycling | |
| 5 | Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC Racing Team | |
| 6 | John Degenkolb (Ger) Team Argos-Shimano | 0:00:08 |
| 7 | Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha | |
| 8 | Elia Viviani (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling | 0:00:10 |
| 9 | Mark Cavendish (GBr) Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team | |
| 10 | Matti Breschel (Den) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 11 | Heinrich Haussler (Aus) IAM Cycling | |
| 12 | Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) FDJ | |
| 13 | Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr) Ag2R La Mondiale | |
| 14 | Aidis Kruopis (Ltu) Orica-GreenEdge | |
| 15 | Roger Kluge (Ger) Team NetApp-Endura | |
| 16 | Kenny Robert Van Hummel (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
| 17 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling | |
| 18 | Adam Blythe (GBr) BMC Racing Team | |
| 19 | Murilo Antoniobil Fischer (Bra) FDJ | |
| 20 | Jens Keukeleire (Bel) Orica-GreenEdge | |
| 21 | Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky Procycling | |
| 22 | Mathew Hayman (Aus) Sky Procycling | |
| 23 | Jacopo Guarnieri (Ita) Astana Pro Team | |
| 24 | Tiziano Dall'Antonia (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling | |
| 25 | Niki Terpstra (Ned) Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team | |
| 26 | Marco Haller (Aut) Katusha | |
| 27 | Alexander Porsev (Rus) Katusha | |
| 28 | Tony Gallopin (Fra) RadioShack Leopard | |
| 29 | Rob Ruijgh (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
| 30 | Tom Veelers (Ned) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 31 | Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team | |
| 32 | Dominique Rollin (Can) FDJ | |
| 33 | Luke Rowe (GBr) Sky Procycling | |
| 34 | Baden Cooke (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge | |
| 35 | Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team | |
| 36 | Michael Schär (Swi) BMC Racing Team | |
| 37 | Koen De Kort (Ned) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 38 | Jonas Aaen Jorgensen (Den) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 39 | Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
| 40 | Daniel Schorn (Aut) Team NetApp-Endura | |
| 41 | Yoann Offredo (Fra) FDJ | 0:00:19 |
| 42 | Steve Chainel (Fra) Ag2R La Mondiale | |
| 43 | Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Astana Pro Team | 0:00:21 |
| 44 | Paul Voss (Ger) Team NetApp-Endura | |
| 45 | Reto Hollenstein (Swi) IAM Cycling | |
| 46 | Matt Brammeier (Irl) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 47 | Gabriel Rasch (Nor) Sky Procycling | 0:00:31 |
| 48 | Johan Le Bon (Fra) FDJ | |
| 49 | Markel Irizar (Spa) RadioShack Leopard | |
| 50 | Dmitriy Muravyev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team | |
| 51 | Ian Stannard (GBr) Sky Procycling | |
| 52 | Iljo Keisse (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team | |
| 53 | Gatis Smukulis (Lat) Katusha | |
| 54 | Daniele Bennati (Ita) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 55 | Pirmin Lang (Swi) IAM Cycling | |
| 56 | Roy Curvers (Ned) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 57 | Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team | |
| 58 | Sébastien Minard (Fra) Ag2R La Mondiale | |
| 59 | Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack Leopard | 0:00:37 |
| 60 | Martin Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team | 0:00:43 |
| 61 | Andreas Schillinger (Ger) Team NetApp-Endura | |
| 62 | Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team | |
| 63 | Zakkari Dempster (Aus) Team NetApp-Endura | |
| 64 | Sergey Lagutin (Uzb) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
| 65 | Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) RadioShack Leopard | |
| 66 | Pavel Brutt (Rus) Katusha | 0:00:52 |
| 67 | Ramon Sinkeldam (Ned) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 68 | Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 69 | Sébastien Hinault (Fra) IAM Cycling | |
| 70 | Rüdiger Selig (Ger) Katusha | 0:02:10 |
| 71 | Tom Stamsnijder (Ned) Team Argos-Shimano | 0:02:39 |
| 72 | Nikias Arndt (Ger) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 73 | Kristof Goddaert (Bel) IAM Cycling | 0:16:12 |
| 74 | Stijn Devolder (Bel) RadioShack Leopard | |
| 75 | Kristijan Koren (Slo) Cannondale Pro Cycling | |
| 76 | Christian Delle Stelle (Ita) Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox | |
| 77 | Soupe Geoffrey (Fra) FDJ | |
| 78 | Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling | |
| 79 | David Boucher (Fra) FDJ | |
| 80 | Fumeaux Jonathan (Swi) IAM Cycling | |
| 81 | Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox | |
| 82 | Muhamad Adiq Husainie Othman (Mas) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 83 | Chan Jae Jang (Kor) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 84 | Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) FDJ | |
| 85 | Russell Downing (GBr) Team NetApp-Endura | |
| 86 | Lawrence Warbasse (USA) BMC Racing Team | |
| 87 | Huffman Evan (USA) Astana Pro Team | |
| 88 | Andrea Guardini (Ita) Astana Pro Team | |
| 89 | Borut Bozic (Slo) Astana Pro Team | |
| 90 | Marco Marcato (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
| 91 | Marco Canola (Ita) Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox | |
| 92 | Christopher Sutton (Aus) Sky Procycling | |
| 93 | Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Cannondale Pro Cycling | |
| 94 | Andrea Pasqualon (Ita) Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox | |
| 95 | Julien Berard (Fra) Ag2R La Mondiale | |
| 96 | Daniele Ratto (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling | |
| 97 | Sacha Modolo (Ita) Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox | |
| 98 | Allan Davis (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge | |
| 99 | Marco Coledan (Ita) Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox | |
| 100 | Jonathan Cantwell (Aus) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 101 | Markus Eichler (Ger) Team NetApp-Endura | |
| 102 | Matthias Friedemann (Ger) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 103 | Vladimir Isaichev (Rus) Katusha | |
| 104 | Fumiyuki Beppu (Jpn) Orica-GreenEdge | |
| 105 | Yusuke Hatanaka (Jpn) Japan | |
| 106 | Gediminas Bagdonas (Ltu) Ag2R La Mondiale | |
| 107 | Nelson Santos Oliveira (Por) RadioShack Leopard | |
| 108 | Filippo Fortin (Ita) Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox | |
| 109 | Blaz Jarc (Slo) Team NetApp-Endura | |
| 110 | Andrea Di Corrado (Ita) Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox | |
| 111 | Barry Markus (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
| 112 | Brett Daniel Lancaster (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge | |
| 113 | Valentin Iglinskiy (Kaz) Ag2R La Mondiale | |
| 114 | Hayden Roulston (NZl) RadioShack Leopard | |
| 115 | Aliaksandr Kuchynski (Blr) Katusha | |
| 116 | Yuzuru Suzuki (Jpn) Japan | |
| 117 | Guillaume Boivin (Can) Cannondale Pro Cycling | |
| 118 | Dmitriy Gruzdev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team | |
| 119 | Hugo Houle (Can) Ag2R La Mondiale | |
| 120 | Arman Kamyshev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team | |
| 121 | Anders Lund (Den) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 122 | Stephen Cummings (GBr) BMC Racing Team | |
| 123 | Bobbie Traksel (Ned) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 124 | Davide Appollonio (Ita) Ag2R La Mondiale | |
| 125 | Luka Mezgec (Slo) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 126 | Jens Mouris (Ned) Orica-GreenEdge | |
| 127 | Miyataka Shimizu (Jpn) Japan | |
| 128 | Marko Kump (Slo) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 129 | Chun Kai Feng (Chn) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 130 | Junya Sano (Jpn) Japan | |
| 131 | Yannick Eijssen (Bel) BMC Racing Team | |
| 132 | Karsten Kroon (Ned) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 133 | Kohei Uchima (Jpn) Japan | |
| 134 | Wesley Kreder (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
| 135 | Wouter Mol (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
| 136 | Alessandro De Marchi (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling | |
| 137 | Kazuhiro Mori (Jpn) Japan | |
| 138 | Taiji Nishitani (Jpn) Japan | |
| 139 | Gang Xu (Chn) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 140 | Marco Bandiera (Ita) IAM Cycling | |
| 141 | Pengda Jiao (Chn) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 142 | Matteo Trentin (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team |
Photos from Tour of Qatar courtesy Ben Keane
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