McCann and Brammeier off to good start in Tour of Qatar

David McCann and stage winner Tom Boonen

David McCann and Matt Brammeier have gotten off to a solid start in the Tour of Qatar today with Brammeier helping to set up team mate Tom Boonen for the stage victory and McCann finishing in the peloton in his first race of 2012.

The stage was marred by a couple of crashes and while those spills split the field for a time in the soaring temperatures and crosswinds across the desert, it all came together for a bunch sprint with Boonen winning by a very comfortable margin.

Brammeier was instrumental in the Omega Pharma-Quickstep train in keeping the speed high enough to frustrate any breakaways in the closing kilometres.

McCann was content to stay in the bunch on a day when half of his TRS Racing team mates were among around 25 riders who lost contact with the main field.

The only breakaway of the day was Lotto Belisol’s Adam Hansen, who took off on his own in the opening kilometres and built a lead of over six minutes, only to be recaptured just after the halfway point in the 140km stage.

Barzan Towers-Doha Golf Club 143km

1. Tom Boonen (Bel) Omega Pharma-QuickStep 3:11:32

2. Adam Blythe (GBr) BMC Racing Team

3. Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale

4. Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Barracuda

5. Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale