Back stage: Matt Brammeier (centre) takes shelter from the sun in Qatar with his Champion System team mates
Matt Brammeier's new team Champion System had a day it will want to forget in a hurry today, Monday, after finishing well down the field in the team time trial (TTT) on the second stage of the Tour of Qatar.
As a Pro Continental outfit pitted against some of the biggest teams in the world who count world class testers among their line-ups in Qatar this week, it was always going to be a tall order for the Irish man's Champion System to pull any kind of a result out of the bag.
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In the end the team relinquished 1:16 to winners BMC Racing in the out and back 14km test. It was a disappointment for Brammeier who had ridden very strongly on yesterday's opening stage to make it into the big lead group despite a puncture in a day when the unforgiving wind blew the race apart.
However, he will not linger very long on today's performance and instead will have his eyes fixed on getting some quality racing miles in this week and making the most of what appears to be some pretty good early season condition. The race continues until Friday with four more road stages.
Stage 2 – 14km Team Time Trial
| Position | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BMC Racing Team | 0:16:07 |
| 2 | Sky Procycling | 0:00:05 |
| 3 | Omega Pharma-Quick Step | 0:00:10 |
| 4 | Radioshack Leopard | 0:00:11 |
| 5 | Katusha Team | 0:00:15 |
| 6 | Astana Pro Team | 0:00:17 |
| 7 | FDJ | 0:00:23 |
| 8 | Orica Greenedge | |
| 9 | Cannondale | 0:00:24 |
| 10 | Team Saxo-Tinkoff | 0:00:26 |
| 11 | Team Argos-Shimano | 0:00:30 |
| 12 | Ag2R La Mondiale | 0:00:33 |
| 13 | Team Netapp-Endura | |
| 14 | Iam Cycling | 0:00:37 |
| 15 | Vacansoleil-DCM | 0:00:51 |
| 16 | Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox | 0:00:59 |
| 17 | Champion System | 0:01:16 |
| 18 | Japan | 0:01:48 |
General Classification
| Position | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team | 3:44:44 |
| 2 | Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC Racing Team | 0:00:06 |
| 3 | Adam Blythe (GBr) BMC Racing Team | 0:00:10 |
| 4 | Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team | |
| 5 | Michael Schär (Swi) BMC Racing Team | |
| 6 | Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Sky Procycling | 0:00:11 |
| 7 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling | 0:00:15 |
| 8 | Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky Procycling | |
| 9 | Mathew Hayman (Aus) Sky Procycling | |
| 10 | Luke Rowe (GBr) Sky Procycling | |
| 11 | Mark Cavendish (GBr) Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team | 0:00:20 |
| 12 | Niki Terpstra (Ned) Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team | |
| 13 | Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team | |
| 14 | Tony Gallopin (Fra) RadioShack Leopard | 0:00:21 |
| 15 | Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha | 0:00:23 |
| 16 | Marco Haller (Aut) Katusha | 0:00:25 |
| 17 | Alexander Porsev (Rus) Katusha | |
| 18 | Jacopo Guarnieri (Ita) Astana Pro Team | 0:00:27 |
| 19 | Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) FDJ | 0:00:33 |
| 20 | Aidis Kruopis (Ltu) Orica-GreenEdge | |
| 61 | Matt Brammeier (Irl) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | 0:01:37 |
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