Stage 3, from the Camel Race Track to the Doha Golf Club. Well, it's not nice weather to ride on camels, or to play some golf. The sun has disappeared and instead there are a lot of dark clouds with predicted rain, and a lot of wind!
But as promised, we try to be in the BOTD today. Sep Vanmarcke is in the first breakaway, together with Amélien Passeron (Cofidis), Pavel Kachetkov (Itera) and Carlos Oyarzun (Movistar). The 4 battle for the points and bonus seconds devided at the first Intermediate sprint. Passeron wins it, followed by Kachetkov and Vanmarcke.
But these 4 don't stand a chance. So after a regrouping, an other group of 4 ride away and these 4 gat the approval of the peloton. Jorge Cardona (Colombia), Thomas De Gendt, Cyrille Heymans (Differdange) and Luca Paolini (Katusha) get a maximum lead of 3'30. Heymans wins the 2nd Intermediate sprint, followed by Paolini and De Gendt. Meanwhile, the sky has become pretty dark and a sand and rain storm is coming....
The peloton is closing the gap (with Qantas in front of the peloton) and because the 4 leaders have become 3 (Cardona can't handle the wind and gets dropped), Thomas De Gendt decides to try it by himself. 20 kilometres remaining and the peloton 1'19 behind.
The next 15 kilometres happens a lot: it starts to rain (in the desert of Qatar..... WTF??) and echelons are formed. De Gendt is caught just after the 5km banner, and together with Lieuwe Westra & Theo Bos he is in the leading group of 21 riders, including the entire (8) Qantas team!
Rider after rider looses contact with the first ones leading the "peloton". So only the selected few can sprint for the win and surprisingly Matthew Goss gets beaten by Nespresso's Alex Rasmussen! Rober Förster (UHC) takes the 3rd place. Best placed Monster is again Theo Bos, again in 13th place.
Results
1
Alex Rasmussen
Nespresso
2h50'55
2
Matthew Goss
Team Qantas
s.t.
3
Robert Förster
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
4
Francisco José Ventoso
Movistar Team
s.t.
5
Allan Davis
Team Qantas
s.t.
6
Robbie McEwen
Team Qantas
s.t.
7
Tomas Vaitkus
Team Qantas
s.t.
8
John Degenkolb
M&M's
s.t.
9
Sébastien Turgot
Team Europcar
s.t.
10
Kevin Lacombe
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
Spoiler
11
Sebastian Langeveld
Team Qantas
s.t.
12
Stuart O'Grady
Team Qantas
s.t.
13
Theo Bos
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
14
Cyrille Heymans
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
15
Daryl Impey
Team Qantas
s.t.
16
Julian Dean
Team Qantas
s.t.
17
Lieuwe Westra
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
18
Simon Geschke
M&M's
s.t.
19
Luca Paolini
Katusha Team
s.t.
20
Roberto Ferrari
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
21
Thomas De Gendt
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
22
Andriy Grivko
Pro Team Astana
+ 1'18
23
Thomas Bonnin
M&M's
s.t.
24
Andrea Grendene
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
25
Francesco Chicchi
Katusha Team
s.t.
26
Vladimir Karpets
Katusha Team
s.t.
27
Stijn Vandenbergh
Katusha Team
s.t.
28
Sergueï Ivanov
Katusha Team
s.t.
29
Fabio Felline
Nespresso
s.t.
30
Kirk O'Bee
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
31
Patrick Gretsch
M&M's
s.t.
32
Valentin Iglinskiy
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
33
Jonas Ljungblad
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
34
Salvatore Commesso
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
35
Leif Hoste
Katusha Team
s.t.
36
Sheldon Deeny
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
37
Ángel Vicioso
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
38
Luca Solari
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
39
Yannick Talabardon
Saur - Sojasun
s.t.
40
Vytautas Kaupas
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
41
Michael Matthews
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
42
Enrique Sanz
Movistar Team
s.t.
43
Daniele Ratto
Nespresso
s.t.
44
Tanel Kangert
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
45
Fang Han
M&M's
s.t.
46
Sébastien Rosseler
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
47
Dmitriy Fofonov
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
48
Martin Reimer
M&M's
s.t.
49
Davide Cimolai
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
50
Beñat Intxausti
Movistar Team
s.t.
51
Dimitry Kozontchuk
Nespresso
+ 2'29
52
Maxime Vantomme
Katusha Team
s.t.
53
Christian Poos
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
54
Robert Partridge
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
55
Sergio Pardilla
Movistar Team
s.t.
56
David López
Movistar Team
s.t.
57
Matteo Montaguti
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
58
Brice Feillu
Saur - Sojasun
s.t.
59
Fabrice Jeandesboz
Saur - Sojasun
s.t.
60
Ignatas Konovalovas
Movistar Team
s.t.
61
Carlos Oyarzun
Movistar Team
s.t.
62
Greg Henderson
Pro Team Astana
+ 3'00
63
Mikhail Ignatiev
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
64
Davide Viganò
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
65
Coen Vermeltfoort
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
66
Hilton Clarke
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
67
Dimitriy Muravyev
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
68
Marko Kump
Nespresso
s.t.
69
Evan Oliphant
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
70
Mirco Lorenzetto
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
71
Jérémie Galland
Saur - Sojasun
s.t.
72
Matteo Pelucchi
Nespresso
s.t.
73
Matt Cronshaw
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
74
Nikolai Trussov
Katusha Team
s.t.
75
Daniele Colli
Nespresso
s.t.
76
Maxim Gourov
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
77
Hugo Houle
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
78
Yaroslav Popovych
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
79
Sergey Firsanov
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
80
Jean-Marc Marino
Saur - Sojasun
s.t.
81
Kristian House
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
82
Sep Vanmarcke
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
83
Jason McCartney
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
84
Kevin Seeldraeyers
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
85
Rudy Lesschaeve
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
86
Philip Deignan
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
87
Tony Gallopin
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
88
Aurélien Passeron
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
89
Alexandre Blain
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
90
Adrien Petit
Team Europcar
s.t.
91
Julien El Fares
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
92
James Moss
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
93
Hubert Schwab
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
94
Perrig Quemeneur
Team Europcar
s.t.
95
Pavel Kochetkov
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
96
Luis Ángel Maté
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
97
Damien Gaudin
Team Europcar
s.t.
98
Guillaume Le Floch
Team Europcar
s.t.
99
Rob Britton
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
100
Nicolas Vogondy
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
101
Marco Corti
Nespresso
s.t.
102
Anton Vorobyev
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
103
Jorge Cardona
Colombia es Pasión - Café de Colombia
s.t.
104
Eduardo Gonzalo
Movistar Team
s.t.
105
Raffaele Ferrara
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
106
Luboš Pelánek
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
107
Gediminas Kaupas
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
+ 5'02
108
Christopher Jones
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
109
Giovanni Bernaudeau
Team Europcar
s.t.
110
Jack Bobridge
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
111
Mark Batty
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
112
Sergey Rudaskov
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
113
Tony Hurel
Team Europcar
s.t.
114
Marco Bos
M&M's
s.t.
115
Mathias Mollard
Saur - Sojasun
+ 5'31
116
Hernando Valencia
Colombia es Pasión - Café de Colombia
+ 6'11
117
Jens Mulder
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
118
Thomas Faiers
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
119
Zachary Bell
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
120
Dimitry Ignatiev
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
121
Adam Blythe
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
122
Julien Fouchard
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
123
Thomas Peterson
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
124
Kirill Baranov
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
125
Arnaud Labbe
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
126
Jérôme Cousin
Team Europcar
s.t.
127
Yoann Bagot
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
128
Gabriel Michaud
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
GC
Goss stays in the lead. Rasmussen jumps over Westra to 3rd.
1
Matthew Goss
Team Qantas
5h59'21
2
Alex Rasmussen
Nespresso
+ 7
3
Lieuwe Westra
Monster Energy - Ford
+ 21
4
Robert Förster
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
+ 23
5
John Degenkolb
M&M's
+ 25
6
Robbie McEwen
Team Qantas
s.t.
7
Francisco José Ventoso
Movistar Team
+ 26
8
Cyrille Heymans
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
+ 29
9
Sebastian Langeveld
Team Qantas
+ 30
10
Simon Geschke
M&M's
+ 31
Spoiler
11
Luca Paolini
Katusha Team
s.t.
12
Tomas Vaitkus
Team Qantas
+ 32
13
Theo Bos
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
14
Stuart O'Grady
Team Qantas
+ 33
15
Allan Davis
Team Qantas
+ 34
16
Sébastien Turgot
Team Europcar
s.t.
17
Roberto Ferrari
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
18
Kevin Lacombe
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
+ 35
19
Daryl Impey
Team Qantas
s.t.
20
Julian Dean
Team Qantas
+ 36
21
Andriy Grivko
Pro Team Astana
+ 1'44
22
Vladimir Karpets
Katusha Team
+ 1'46
23
Beñat Intxausti
Movistar Team
s.t.
24
Fabio Felline
Nespresso
+ 1'48
25
Leif Hoste
Katusha Team
s.t.
26
Tanel Kangert
Pro Team Astana
+ 1'49
27
Michael Matthews
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
+ 1'50
28
Kirk O'Bee
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
+ 1'51
29
Salvatore Commesso
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
30
Sébastien Rosseler
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
31
Francesco Chicchi
Katusha Team
+ 1'52
32
Jonas Ljungblad
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
33
Patrick Gretsch
M&M's
s.t.
34
Martin Reimer
M&M's
+ 1'53
35
Ángel Vicioso
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
36
Davide Cimolai
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
37
Sheldon Deeny
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
38
Sergueï Ivanov
Katusha Team
s.t.
39
Enrique Sanz
Movistar Team
s.t.
40
Vytautas Kaupas
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
41
Andrea Grendene
Androni Giocattoli
+ 1'54
42
Stijn Vandenbergh
Katusha Team
s.t.
43
Valentin Iglinskiy
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
44
Thomas Bonnin
M&M's
s.t.
45
Dmitriy Fofonov
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
46
Yannick Talabardon
Saur - Sojasun
+ 1'56
47
Daniele Ratto
Nespresso
+ 1'59
48
Luca Solari
Androni Giocattoli
+ 2'01
49
Fang Han
M&M's
s.t.
50
Ignatas Konovalovas
Movistar Team
+ 2'51
51
Robert Partridge
Kingspan - Alpro
+ 2'56
52
Carlos Oyarzun
Movistar Team
+ 2'58
53
Christian Poos
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
54
Thomas De Gendt
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
55
Matteo Montaguti
Androni Giocattoli
+ 3'02
56
Fabrice Jeandesboz
Saur - Sojasun
+ 3'03
57
Sergio Pardilla
Movistar Team
+ 3'04
58
Dimitry Kozontchuk
Nespresso
+ 3'05
59
David López
Movistar Team
s.t.
60
Maxime Vantomme
Katusha Team
+ 3'08
61
Brice Feillu
Saur - Sojasun
s.t.
62
Philip Deignan
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
+ 3'28
63
Kevin Seeldraeyers
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
64
Sergey Firsanov
Itera - Katusha
+ 3'29
65
Pavel Kochetkov
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
66
Nikolai Trussov
Katusha Team
+ 3'31
67
Jason McCartney
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
68
Daniele Colli
Nespresso
s.t.
69
Nicolas Vogondy
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
70
Yaroslav Popovych
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
+ 3'32
71
Damien Gaudin
Team Europcar
s.t.
72
Mikhail Ignatiev
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
73
Greg Henderson
Pro Team Astana
+ 3'33
74
Marko Kump
Nespresso
s.t.
75
Hugo Houle
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
+ 3'34
76
Aurélien Passeron
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
77
Alexandre Blain
Kingspan - Alpro
+ 3'35
78
Tony Gallopin
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
79
Hubert Schwab
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
80
Hilton Clarke
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
+ 3'36
81
Rob Britton
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
82
Julien El Fares
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
83
Mirco Lorenzetto
Androni Giocattoli
+ 3'37
84
Sep Vanmarcke
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
85
Perrig Quemeneur
Team Europcar
s.t.
86
Evan Oliphant
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
87
Rudy Lesschaeve
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
88
Anton Vorobyev
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
89
Dimitriy Muravyev
Pro Team Astana
+ 3'38
90
Maxim Gourov
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
91
Jorge Cardona
Colombia es Pasión - Café de Colombia
s.t.
92
Adrien Petit
Team Europcar
+ 3'39
93
Marco Corti
Nespresso
s.t.
94
Kristian House
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
95
Jérémie Galland
Saur - Sojasun
s.t.
96
Matt Cronshaw
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
97
Eduardo Gonzalo
Movistar Team
s.t.
98
Raffaele Ferrara
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
99
Matteo Pelucchi
Nespresso
+ 3'40
100
Luboš Pelánek
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
101
Davide Viganò
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
+ 3'41
102
Jean-Marc Marino
Saur - Sojasun
s.t.
103
Luis Ángel Maté
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
104
Guillaume Le Floch
Team Europcar
+ 3'42
105
James Moss
Kingspan - Alpro
+ 3'43
106
Coen Vermeltfoort
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
107
Jack Bobridge
Monster Energy - Ford
+ 5'28
108
Marco Bos
M&M's
+ 5'37
109
Christopher Jones
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
+ 5'39
110
Tony Hurel
Team Europcar
+ 5'40
111
Gediminas Kaupas
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
112
Mark Batty
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
113
Giovanni Bernaudeau
Team Europcar
+ 5'42
114
Sergey Rudaskov
Itera - Katusha
+ 5'43
115
Jérôme Cousin
Team Europcar
+ 6'47
116
Adam Blythe
Kingspan - Alpro
+ 6'48
117
Thomas Peterson
Itera - Katusha
+ 6'49
118
Dimitry Ignatiev
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
119
Julien Fouchard
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
120
Hernando Valencia
Colombia es Pasión - Café de Colombia
s.t.
121
Yoann Bagot
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
122
Thomas Faiers
Kingspan - Alpro
+ 6'50
123
Kirill Baranov
Itera - Katusha
+ 6'51
124
Zachary Bell
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
+ 9'12
125
Arnaud Labbe
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
+ 9'15
126
Gabriel Michaud
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
+ 9'20
127
Mathias Mollard
Saur - Sojasun
+ 9'34
128
Jens Mulder
Monster Energy - Ford
+ 10'15
Points
1
Alex Rasmussen
Nespresso
25
49
2
Matthew Goss
Team Qantas
20
45
3
John Degenkolb
M&M's
8
33
4
Robbie McEwen
Team Qantas
10
30
5
Francisco José Ventoso
Movistar Team
14
30
Today's winner
Word from the DS
When I say that we are very happy with the media-attention because of the last place / lanterne rouge from Jens Mulder, that shoud be enough.... Okay, too be honest, Thomas de Gendt did a great job today, bu Qantas is killing the field...
And already stage 4. The weather has brighten up. The clouds have disappeared, just as the wind! 150 kilometres from Al Wakra to Mesaieed.
We try the same for the first Intermediate sprint as in stage one, and again we succeed in it. Lieuwe Westra attacks shortly befor eit and takes the points and 6 bonus seconds. He is followed by Evan Oliphant (Kingspan) and Sebastian Langeveld (Qantas).
After that, 4 riders jump away and form the BOTD: Ignatas Konovalovas (who lost a few minutes last stage and thereby his chance for a good GC), Mikhail Ignatiev (Itera), Lubor Pélanek (Farnese) and Robert Partridge (Kingspan). The maximum lead is 3'30 and with less than 10 kilometres to go, the peloton catches the 2 last remaining members of the BOTD, Konovalovas and Ignatiev.
The stage turns into another mass sprint. Theo Bos was in the wheel of Matthew Goss, but lost it, after which he took the wheel of Robbie McEwen. But it is the 2nd win this tour for Matthew Goss, although this time he has to work hard for it. Androni's Roberto Ferrari comes pretty close, but has to settle with the 2nd place, in front of Robbie McEwen. Theo Bos has a good sprint, with the 7th place. All rider finish within the same time as Goss.
Results
1
Matthew Goss
Team Qantas
3h16'09
2
Roberto Ferrari
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
3
Robbie McEwen
Team Qantas
s.t.
4
Alex Rasmussen
Nespresso
s.t.
5
John Degenkolb
M&M's
s.t.
6
Robert Förster
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
7
Theo Bos
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
8
Allan Davis
Team Qantas
s.t.
9
Greg Henderson
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
10
Francisco José Ventoso
Movistar Team
s.t.
GC
1
Matthew Goss
Team Qantas
9h15'10
2
Alex Rasmussen
Nespresso
+ 27
3
Lieuwe Westra
Monster Energy - Ford
+ 35
4
Robbie McEwen
Team Qantas
+ 37
5
Roberto Ferrari
Androni Giocattoli
+ 42
6
Robert Förster
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
+ 43
7
John Degenkolb
M&M's
+ 45
8
Francisco José Ventoso
Movistar Team
+ 46
9
Sebastian Langeveld
Team Qantas
+ 48
10
Cyrille Heymans
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
+ 49
Points
1
Matthew Goss
Team Qantas
25
70
2
Alex Rasmussen
Nespresso
14
63
3
Robbie McEwen
Team Qantas
16
46
4
John Degenkolb
M&M's
12
45
5
Francisco José Ventoso
Movistar Team
6
36
Today's winner
Word from the DS
2 positive things, one negative. First the positive: Westra took 6 bonus seconds and Bos improved himself with the 7th place. The negative: we don't stand a chance here.
5th stage from West Bay Lagoon to Al Kharaitiyat. 153.5 kilometres riding through the desert with mediocre wind (30-40 km/h). SHould be something for the sprinters today...
After several fruitless attempts to form a breakaway (among those who tried it were Jack Bobridge & Thomas De Gendt), it is Lieuwe Westra who sprints for the 6 bonus seconds and gets it. Well, you have to try something to stay in the GC-top 3 when you are no sprinter.
After Westra lets himself fall back in the peloton, 7 riders attack out of the peloton and form the BOTD. In it are Hilton Clarke (United HealthCare), Jérémie Galland (Saur), Jérome Cousin (Europcard), Davide Vigano (Spidertech), Damien Gaudin (Europcar) and Sergey Firsanov (Itera). They even get a maximum lead of almost 6 minutes, but as predicted the domestiques of Qantas and M&M's don't have trouble to close the gap. 8 kilometres before the finish, the last 2 of the breakaway (Firsanov and Vigano) get caught.
In the drag towards the beginning of the sprint, the story is as usual. Team Qantas is doing the pace, that is so high that one by one the other sprinters run out of energy and have to let the Qantas-train (or plane) go. So in the end, it's another victory for Matthew Goss, his 3rd in 4 sprints. Robert Förster (United HealthCare) is the only one who can stay close to Goss and gets 2nd, with Ventoo (Movistar) in 3rd. Theo Bos has to settle with the 12th place.
Results
1
Matthew Goss
Team Qantas
3h22'12
2
Robert Förster
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
3
Francisco José Ventoso
Movistar Team
s.t.
4
Alex Rasmussen
Nespresso
s.t.
5
Robbie McEwen
Team Qantas
s.t.
6
John Degenkolb
M&M's
s.t.
7
Roberto Ferrari
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
8
Greg Henderson
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
9
Francesco Chicchi
Katusha Team
s.t.
10
Sébastien Turgot
Team Europcar
s.t.
...
12
Theo Bos
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
GC
Goss is in 1st, Rasmussen in 2nd and Westra still in 3rd, thanks to the bonus seconds.
1
Matthew Goss
Team Qantas
12h37'02
2
Alex Rasmussen
Nespresso
+ 47
3
Lieuwe Westra
Monster Energy - Ford
+ 49
4
Robert Förster
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
+ 51
5
Robbie McEwen
Team Qantas
+ 57
6
Francisco José Ventoso
Movistar Team
+ 58
7
Roberto Ferrari
Androni Giocattoli
+ 1'02
8
John Degenkolb
M&M's
+ 1'05
9
Sebastian Langeveld
Team Qantas
+ 1'08
10
Cyrille Heymans
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
+ 1'09
Today's winner
Word from the DS
Only thing I can say is that Goss and his team Qantas are truly dominating. Theo Bos even can't stay iin the wheel of Goss', the Qantas speed is too high.
The last stage of this year's Tour of Qatar, and the only question is if someone can hold Goss off from his 4th win. The start is in the Sealine Beach Resort and the stage finish after 106.8 kilometres in Doha Corniche. Pancake flat again, but this time with sunny conditions and almost no wind.
The story of the stage is pretty short: a group of 12 riders jump away, create a gap of some minutes, Team Qantas and M&M's start the chase, the gap is getting smaller very quick and it will be a mass sprint again.
This time, Theo Bos is able to stay in the wheel of Matthew Goss, and being led out by Allan Davis and Robbie McEwen, the 4 even create a small gap to the other sprinters. When Goss starts to sprint 1 kilometre before the finish, Theo Bos gives it all he has got to overtake Goss. But Goss is way too dominant in this entire Tour and easily takes the win. Bos gets a fantastic 2nd place, McEwen gets the 3rd spot.
Results
1
Matthew Goss
Team Qantas
2h15'22
2
Theo Bos
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
3
Robbie McEwen
Team Qantas
s.t.
4
Robert Förster
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
5
Francisco José Ventoso
Movistar Team
s.t.
6
Roberto Ferrari
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
7
Francesco Chicchi
Katusha Team
s.t.
8
Alex Rasmussen
Nespresso
s.t.
9
John Degenkolb
M&M's
s.t.
10
Sébastien Turgot
Team Europcar
s.t.
GC
Of course, Goss wins the GC. Rasmussen stays in 2nd, but Lieuwe Westra gets passed by Robbie McEwen (both the same time). Theo Bos manages to jump to the 7th place. And we won the lanterne rouge!! Jens Mulder is a great sprinting talent, but sucks in the Flat (55.... but with 6 stars), so he gets dropped every single stage.
1
Matthew Goss
Team Qantas
14h52'04
2
Alex Rasmussen
Nespresso
+ 1'07
3
Robbie McEwen
Team Qantas
+ 1'09
4
Lieuwe Westra
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
5
Robert Förster
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
+ 1'11
6
Francisco José Ventoso
Movistar Team
+ 1'18
7
Theo Bos
Monster Energy - Ford
+ 1'20
8
Roberto Ferrari
Androni Giocattoli
+ 1'22
9
John Degenkolb
M&M's
+ 1'25
10
Sebastian Langeveld
Team Qantas
+ 1'28
Spoiler
11
Cyrille Heymans
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
+ 1'29
12
Simon Geschke
M&M's
+ 1'31
13
Luca Paolini
Katusha Team
s.t.
14
Tomas Vaitkus
Team Qantas
+ 1'32
15
Stuart O'Grady
Team Qantas
+ 1'33
16
Allan Davis
Team Qantas
+ 1'34
17
Sébastien Turgot
Team Europcar
s.t.
18
Kevin Lacombe
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
+ 1'35
19
Daryl Impey
Team Qantas
s.t.
20
Julian Dean
Team Qantas
+ 1'36
21
Andriy Grivko
Pro Team Astana
+ 2'44
22
Vladimir Karpets
Katusha Team
+ 2'46
23
Beñat Intxausti
Movistar Team
s.t.
24
Fabio Felline
Nespresso
+ 2'48
25
Leif Hoste
Katusha Team
s.t.
26
Tanel Kangert
Pro Team Astana
+ 2'49
27
Michael Matthews
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
+ 2'50
28
Kirk O'Bee
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
+ 2'51
29
Sébastien Rosseler
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
30
Salvatore Commesso
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
31
Francesco Chicchi
Katusha Team
+ 2'52
32
Jonas Ljungblad
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
33
Patrick Gretsch
M&M's
s.t.
34
Martin Reimer
M&M's
+ 2'53
35
Sheldon Deeny
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
36
Enrique Sanz
Movistar Team
s.t.
37
Davide Cimolai
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
38
Vytautas Kaupas
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
39
Sergueï Ivanov
Katusha Team
s.t.
40
Ángel Vicioso
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
41
Andrea Grendene
Androni Giocattoli
+ 2'54
42
Stijn Vandenbergh
Katusha Team
s.t.
43
Valentin Iglinskiy
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
44
Dmitriy Fofonov
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
45
Thomas Bonnin
M&M's
s.t.
46
Yannick Talabardon
Saur - Sojasun
s.t.
47
Daniele Ratto
Nespresso
+ 2'59
48
Luca Solari
Androni Giocattoli
+ 3'01
49
Fang Han
M&M's
s.t.
50
Robert Partridge
Kingspan - Alpro
+ 3'42
51
Ignatas Konovalovas
Movistar Team
+ 3'45
52
Christian Poos
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
+ 3'52
53
Carlos Oyarzun
Movistar Team
+ 3'58
54
Thomas De Gendt
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
55
Matteo Montaguti
Androni Giocattoli
+ 4'02
56
Fabrice Jeandesboz
Saur - Sojasun
+ 4'03
57
Sergio Pardilla
Movistar Team
+ 4'04
58
Dimitry Kozontchuk
Nespresso
+ 4'05
59
David López
Movistar Team
s.t.
60
Maxime Vantomme
Katusha Team
+ 4'08
61
Brice Feillu
Saur - Sojasun
s.t.
62
Sergey Firsanov
Itera - Katusha
+ 4'25
63
Philip Deignan
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
+ 4'28
64
Kevin Seeldraeyers
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
65
Pavel Kochetkov
Itera - Katusha
+ 4'29
66
Mikhail Ignatiev
Itera - Katusha
+ 4'30
67
Hilton Clarke
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
68
Jason McCartney
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
+ 4'31
69
Daniele Colli
Nespresso
s.t.
70
Nikolai Trussov
Katusha Team
s.t.
71
Perrig Quemeneur
Team Europcar
s.t.
72
Nicolas Vogondy
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
73
Yaroslav Popovych
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
+ 4'32
74
Damien Gaudin
Team Europcar
s.t.
75
Greg Henderson
Pro Team Astana
+ 4'33
76
Marko Kump
Nespresso
s.t.
77
Evan Oliphant
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
78
Jérémie Galland
Saur - Sojasun
s.t.
79
Hugo Houle
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
+ 4'34
80
Aurélien Passeron
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
81
Tony Gallopin
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
+ 4'35
82
Alexandre Blain
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
83
Hubert Schwab
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
84
Rob Britton
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
+ 4'36
85
Julien El Fares
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
86
Mirco Lorenzetto
Androni Giocattoli
+ 4'37
87
Sep Vanmarcke
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
88
Anton Vorobyev
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
89
Rudy Lesschaeve
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
90
Dimitriy Muravyev
Pro Team Astana
+ 4'38
91
Maxim Gourov
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
92
Adrien Petit
Team Europcar
+ 4'39
93
Marco Corti
Nespresso
s.t.
94
Kristian House
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
95
Matt Cronshaw
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
96
Raffaele Ferrara
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
97
Eduardo Gonzalo
Movistar Team
s.t.
98
Matteo Pelucchi
Nespresso
+ 4'40
99
Luboš Pelánek
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
100
Davide Viganò
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
+ 4'41
101
Jean-Marc Marino
Saur - Sojasun
s.t.
102
Luis Ángel Maté
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
103
Guillaume Le Floch
Team Europcar
+ 4'42
104
Coen Vermeltfoort
Monster Energy - Ford
+ 4'43
105
James Moss
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
106
Jack Bobridge
Monster Energy - Ford
+ 6'28
107
Christopher Jones
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
+ 6'39
108
Tony Hurel
Team Europcar
+ 6'40
109
Mark Batty
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
110
Gediminas Kaupas
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
111
Giovanni Bernaudeau
Team Europcar
+ 6'42
112
Sergey Rudaskov
Itera - Katusha
+ 6'43
113
Jérôme Cousin
Team Europcar
+ 7'45
114
Adam Blythe
Kingspan - Alpro
+ 7'48
115
Thomas Peterson
Itera - Katusha
+ 7'49
116
Dimitry Ignatiev
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
117
Julien Fouchard
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
118
Yoann Bagot
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
119
Thomas Faiers
Kingspan - Alpro
+ 7'50
120
Kirill Baranov
Itera - Katusha
+ 7'51
121
Jorge Cardona
Colombia es Pasión - Café de Colombia
+ 8'02
122
Zachary Bell
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
+ 10'12
123
Arnaud Labbe
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
+ 10'15
124
Hernando Valencia
Colombia es Pasión - Café de Colombia
+ 11'13
125
Marco Bos
M&M's
+ 13'21
126
Gabriel Michaud
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
+ 15'35
127
Mathias Mollard
Saur - Sojasun
+ 15'49
128
Jens Mulder
Monster Energy - Ford
+ 20'13
Points
1
Matthew Goss
Team Qantas
25
120
2
Alex Rasmussen
Nespresso
8
85
3
Robbie McEwen
Team Qantas
16
74
4
Robert Förster
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
14
68
5
Francisco José Ventoso
Movistar Team
12
64
U25
1
John Degenkolb
M&M's
14h53'29
2
Fabio Felline
Nespresso
+ 1'23
3
Tanel Kangert
Pro Team Astana
+ 1'24
4
Michael Matthews
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
+ 1'25
5
Patrick Gretsch
M&M's
+ 1'27
Teams
Hey, we won the teams ranking!
1
Monster Energy - Ford
44h40'39
2
Team Qantas
+ 7
3
M&M's
+ 1'25
4
Movistar Team
+ 2'32
5
Nespresso
+ 2'37
Today's and GC-winner
Word from the DS
The Tour of Qatar ended pretty good for us. We couldn't win a stage, were never close to do it. But with the 2nd place by Bos in the last stage and the 4th place by Westra in the GC, we are happy. Goss was really dominating, so I'm curious to see how he can sprint in the bigger races against Cavendish and Farrar! Now off to Oman, they have a mountain there!!
We stay in the Middle-East for the Tour of Oman. Just like Qatar, there are also 6 stages in this Tour, 4 are flat, 1 hilly ITT and 1 mountain-top-finish, so Matthew Goss probably won't win this GC.
Last year the GC was won by Farnese Vini's Giovanni Visconti. His team is present this year, but Visconti isn't.
The favourites *** Cadel Evans (Katusha), Thomas Dekker, Bradley Wiggins (Sky) ** Jonathan Castroviejo (Euskaltel), Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin), Michal Albasini (Qantas) * José Rujano (Androni), Vasil Kiryienka (Astana), Juano José Cobo (Nespresso)
Our goal
We go for a good GC with 2 riders: Thomas Dekker goes for a top 3, and Wilco Kelderman wants to improve his 9th place from last year. We don't aim for a sprint win with Sagan, because with his low fitness, he won't stand a chance against Mark Cavendish and Matthew Goss.
The first stage takes the riders from Al Sawadi to Al Seeb. The route is 158 kilometres long, with a hill in the middle part. Th elast 60 kilometres are pancake flat, but the big problem will be the wind (about 40 km/h).
A group of 9 riders form the predicted BOTD, among them are Nico Sijmens (Cofidis), Henry Frusto (D'Angelo), Luca Barla (Androni) and Fabian Wegmann (Garmin). They get a maximum lead of 7'30 and are caught 15 kilometres before the finish.
Tha last 30 kilometres of the race are very frustrating. The reasons: very high pace by M&M, Sky and Qantas, a pretty strong headwind (45 km/h) and of all our riders getting dropped by the first group. Even working tgether with 4-5 riders, they loose contact with the first group. So 5 kilometres before the finish, only 43 riders are together.....
When the sprint starts, Farnese Vini's Oscar Gattois in the lead. But under the flamme rouge, Mark Cavendish and Matthew Goss pass him. This will be the first (of probably many) duels between the 2 this year.
The Manx Missile is in the lead, but 150 metres before the finish Goss starts his jump and easily overtakes his former team mate. Goss continues his winning streak. Behind Cav, Oscar Gatto gets the 3rd place. Of the GC-contenders, only Geraint Thomas (Sky), Iván Gutiérrez (Andalucia), Jonathan Castroviejo (Euskaltel) and Michal Albasini (Qantas) are in the first group. A group with our riders (Dekker, Terpstra, Maaskant & Kelderman), as well as Fabio Duarte & Juan José Cobo (Nespresso), Daniel Martin & Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin), Cadel Evans (Katusha) and Vasil Kiryienka (Astana), loose 1'39 today!
Results & GC
1
Matthew Goss
Team Qantas
3h25'13
2
Mark Cavendish
Sky ProCycling
+ 8
3
Oscar Gatto
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
+ 12
4
Nico Sijmens
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
+ 14
5
Henry Frusto
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
6
José Luis Cano
Andalucía Caja Granada
s.t.
7
Samuel Dumoulin
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
+ 20
8
Robbie McEwen
Team Qantas
s.t.
9
John Degenkolb
M&M's
s.t.
10
Bernardo Riccio
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
Spoiler
11
Allan Davis
Team Qantas
s.t.
12
Leif Hoste
Katusha Team
s.t.
13
Kenny Van Hummel
M&M's
s.t.
14
Bernhard Eisel
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
15
Daniele Bennati
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
16
Geraint Thomas
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
17
Tomas Vaitkus
Team Qantas
s.t.
18
Greg Henderson
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
19
Roger Kluge
M&M's
s.t.
20
Paolo Longo Borghini
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
21
Simone Cadamuro
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
22
Fabio Sabatini
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
23
Tom Veelers
M&M's
s.t.
24
Iván Gutiérrez
Andalucía Caja Granada
s.t.
25
Sebastian Langeveld
Team Qantas
s.t.
26
Stuart O'Grady
Team Qantas
s.t.
27
Juan Antonio Flecha
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
28
Damien Monier
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
29
Paul Voss
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
30
Ronan Van Zandbeek
M&M's
s.t.
31
Jonathan Patrick McCarty
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
32
Danny Pate
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
33
Johan Vansummeren
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
34
Matthew Hayman
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
35
Jonathan Castroviejo
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
36
Roman Kireyev
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
37
Nikita Novikov
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
38
Tyler Herbert
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
39
Roy Curvers
M&M's
s.t.
40
Robert Hayles
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
41
Michael Albasini
Team Qantas
s.t.
42
Yann Huguet
M&M's
s.t.
43
Antonio Colom
Andalucía Caja Granada
s.t.
44
Fabian Wegmann
Team Garmin - Cervélo
+ 1'55
45
Luca Barla
Androni Giocattoli
+ 1'57
46
Koldo Fernández
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 1'59
47
Vladimir Isaychev
Katusha Team
s.t.
48
Scott Thwaites
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
49
Maciej Bodnar
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
50
Giuseppe Palumbo
Nespresso
s.t.
51
Martijn Maaskant
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
52
Fabio Duarte
Nespresso
s.t.
53
Massimiliano Gentili
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
54
Mikel Nieve
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
55
Danilo Di Luca
Katusha Team
s.t.
56
Robert Hunter
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
57
Assan Bazayev
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
58
Mitchell Docker
Team Qantas
s.t.
59
Gerben Löwik
M&M's
s.t.
60
Matthias Brändle
Nespresso
s.t.
61
Niki Terpstra
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
62
Kohei Uchima
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
63
Thomas Dekker
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
64
Wilco Kelderman
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
65
Daniel Martin
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
66
Markus Eibegger
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
67
Christian Vande Velde
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
68
Fredrik Kessiakoff
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
69
Morten Knudsen
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
70
Martin Gilbert
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
71
Remco Broers
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
72
Cadel Evans
Katusha Team
s.t.
73
Camilo Suárez
Colombia es Pasión - Café de Colombia
s.t.
74
Walter Pedraza
Colombia es Pasión - Café de Colombia
s.t.
75
Francesco Ginanni
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
76
Simon Lambert-Lemay
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
77
Daniele Nardello
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
78
Aleksandr Kuschynski
Katusha Team
s.t.
79
Elia Viviani
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
80
Mattia Cattaneo
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
81
Mikhail Antonov
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
82
Russell Downing
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
83
Peter Sagan
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
84
Jackson Rodríguez
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
85
Andrea Guardini
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
86
Andrey Mizourov
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
87
Adrián Palomares
Andalucía Caja Granada
s.t.
88
Nairo Quintana
Colombia es Pasión - Café de Colombia
s.t.
89
Jean-Eudes Demaret
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
90
Frank Dressler
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
91
John Darwin Atapuma
Colombia es Pasión - Café de Colombia
s.t.
92
Xavier Florencio
Nespresso
s.t.
93
Luis Felipe Laverde
Colombia es Pasión - Café de Colombia
s.t.
94
Juan José Cobo
Nespresso
s.t.
95
Kevin Hulsmans
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
96
Mauricio Alberto Ardila
Nespresso
s.t.
97
Alex Meenhorst
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
98
Jarlinson Pantano
Colombia es Pasión - Café de Colombia
s.t.
99
Tom Thill
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
100
Alessandro Bertolini
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
101
Adrian Hegyvari
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
102
Tom Da Mota
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
103
Alexander Kholodov
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
104
Juan José Oroz
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
105
Robinson Chalapud
Colombia es Pasión - Café de Colombia
s.t.
106
Pablo Urtasun
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
107
Rafael Valls
Nespresso
s.t.
108
Alexandre Lemair
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
109
Michael Tronborg
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
110
José Rujano
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
111
Ian Wilkinson
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
112
Sergio Marinangeli
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
113
François Parisien
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
114
Sylvain Chavanel
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
115
Jesús Rosendo
Andalucía Caja Granada
s.t.
116
Christophe Riblon
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
117
Davide Frattini
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
118
Giuseppe Muraglia
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
119
Dmitry Kosyakov
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
120
Ryder Hesjedal
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
121
David Blanco
Nespresso
s.t.
122
Josep Jufré
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
123
Dmitry Mokrov
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
124
Francesco Masciarelli
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
125
David Clarke
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
126
Daniel Moreno
Katusha Team
s.t.
127
Bradley Wiggins
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
128
Ryan Roth
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
129
Maarten De Jonge
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
130
Alexander Wetterhall
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
131
Iván Velasco
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
132
Andrea Noè
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
133
Mikel Astarloza
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
134
Vasil Kiryienka
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
135
Joost Posthuma
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
136
Daniel Fleeman
Kingspan - Alpro
+ 6'06
137
Viktor Shmalko
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
138
Lucas Euser
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
139
Bruno Langlois
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
140
Thibault Dupont
Monster Energy - Ford
+ 7'50
141
Eduard Prades
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 12'16
142
Angelo Furlan
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
143
Egor Silin
Katusha Team
s.t.
144
Stéphane Bonsergent
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
145
Giairo Ermeti
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
146
Mickaël Buffaz
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
147
Mauro Da Dalto
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
148
Hugo Salazar
Colombia es Pasión - Café de Colombia
s.t.
149
Junya Sano
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
150
Javier Benítez
Andalucía Caja Granada
s.t.
151
Luca Ascani
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
152
José Alberto Benítez
Andalucía Caja Granada
s.t.
153
Claudio Corioni
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
154
Alessandro Vanotti
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
155
Antonio Santoro
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
156
Valerio Agnoli
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
157
Eros Capecchi
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
158
Sergio Carrasco
Andalucía Caja Granada
s.t.
159
Pietro Caucchioli
Katusha Team
s.t.
160
Alexey Tsatevitch
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
161
Gaspare Boscolo
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
162
Pyotr Bylinkin
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
Points
1
Matthew Goss
Team Qantas
25
2
Mark Cavendish
Sky ProCycling
20
3
Oscar Gatto
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
16
4
Samuel Dumoulin
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
14
5
Robbie McEwen
Team Qantas
12
Today's winner
Word from the DS
For sure, this was the worst stage since the start of the team. Okay, the fitness of the riders wasn't that good (70-75), but none of them was able to follow the pace.... Hopefully Dekker and Kelderman are abloe to stay in the first group the next 2 stages, so they can climb in the GC in the stage to the summit of Jabal al Akhdhar and the ITT.
2nd stage in Oman and Goss is gonna win....... Or is someone capable to prevent him from winning again? The stage from The Wave, Muscat to Al Wutayya is almost 140 kilometres long and almost flat (in the game, there is no climb in the middle of the race).
To give a short summary of the first 130 kilometres of the stage: group gets away, group gets a few minutes, peloton awakes and starts to chase, peloton catches group.
So with less than 10 kilometres to go, M&M's, Sky and Qantas make the pace in the peloton and this time, everybody can follow them!
But not for long. Reason: a crash in the middle of the peloton, so only 47 riders stay in the leading group without losing time. Martijn Maaskant is involved in this crash, but can continue without too much injuries.
Already in the last 2 kilometres and we see a familiar situation. Allan Davis is leading out Matthew Goss. Not again............. Thomas Dekekr & Wilco Kelderman can stau in th ewheel of Goss (and Greg Henderson) until this moment but now fall back.
And that's another win for Goss. Greg Henderson gets 2nd, Mark Cavendish 3rd. Best placed from our team is Kelderman (15th). Also Dekker, Castroviejo, Thomas, Duarte and Albasini are in the first group. Riders as Evas, Hesjedal, Martin loose 1'56 today.
Results
1
Matthew Goss
Team Qantas
2h51'03
2
Greg Henderson
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
3
Mark Cavendish
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
4
Allan Davis
Team Qantas
s.t.
5
John Degenkolb
M&M's
s.t.
6
Samuel Dumoulin
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
7
Fabio Sabatini
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
8
Daniele Bennati
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
9
Oscar Gatto
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
10
Bernardo Riccio
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
...
15
Wilco Kelderman
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
GC
1
Matthew Goss
Team Qantas
6h15'56
2
Mark Cavendish
Sky ProCycling
+ 20
3
Greg Henderson
Pro Team Astana
+ 28
4
Oscar Gatto
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
+ 32
5
Samuel Dumoulin
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
+ 40
6
John Degenkolb
M&M's
s.t.
7
Allan Davis
Team Qantas
s.t.
8
Robbie McEwen
Team Qantas
s.t.
9
Bernardo Riccio
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
10
Daniele Bennati
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
Spoiler
11
Bernhard Eisel
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
12
Kenny Van Hummel
M&M's
s.t.
13
Fabio Sabatini
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
14
Geraint Thomas
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
15
Leif Hoste
Katusha Team
s.t.
16
Roger Kluge
M&M's
s.t.
17
Sebastian Langeveld
Team Qantas
s.t.
18
Stuart O'Grady
Team Qantas
s.t.
19
Tomas Vaitkus
Team Qantas
s.t.
20
Jonathan Castroviejo
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
21
Tom Veelers
M&M's
s.t.
22
Antonio Colom
Andalucía Caja Granada
s.t.
23
Matthew Hayman
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
24
Juan Antonio Flecha
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
25
Michael Albasini
Team Qantas
s.t.
26
Johan Vansummeren
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
27
Ronan Van Zandbeek
M&M's
s.t.
28
Danny Pate
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
29
Yann Huguet
M&M's
s.t.
30
Roy Curvers
M&M's
s.t.
31
Ian Wilkinson
Kingspan - Alpro
+ 2'13
32
Koldo Fernández
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 2'19
33
Fabio Duarte
Nespresso
s.t.
34
Mikel Nieve
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
35
Wilco Kelderman
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
36
Thomas Dekker
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
37
Niki Terpstra
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
38
Mitchell Docker
Team Qantas
s.t.
39
Gerben Löwik
M&M's
s.t.
40
Peter Sagan
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
41
Jackson Rodríguez
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
42
Adrián Palomares
Andalucía Caja Granada
s.t.
43
Xavier Florencio
Nespresso
s.t.
44
Russell Downing
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
45
Andrea Noè
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
46
Francesco Masciarelli
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
47
Vasil Kiryienka
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
48
Nico Sijmens
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
+ 2'30
49
Henry Frusto
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
50
José Luis Cano
Andalucía Caja Granada
s.t.
51
Paolo Longo Borghini
Liquigas - Cannondale
+ 2'36
52
Jonathan Patrick McCarty
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
53
Paul Voss
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
54
Simone Cadamuro
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
55
Iván Gutiérrez
Andalucía Caja Granada
s.t.
56
Nikita Novikov
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
57
Roman Kireyev
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
58
Damien Monier
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
59
Robert Hayles
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
60
Tyler Herbert
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
61
Martin Gilbert
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
+ 4'05
62
Fabian Wegmann
Team Garmin - Cervélo
+ 4'07
63
Morten Knudsen
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
+ 4'13
64
Luca Barla
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
65
Dmitry Mokrov
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
66
Maciej Bodnar
Liquigas - Cannondale
+ 4'15
67
Assan Bazayev
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
68
Scott Thwaites
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
69
Vladimir Isaychev
Katusha Team
s.t.
70
Giuseppe Palumbo
Nespresso
s.t.
71
Elia Viviani
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
72
Daniele Nardello
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
73
Simon Lambert-Lemay
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
74
Andrea Guardini
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
75
Mattia Cattaneo
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
76
Mikhail Antonov
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
77
Markus Eibegger
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
78
Frank Dressler
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
79
Kevin Hulsmans
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
80
Alexandre Lemair
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
81
Martijn Maaskant
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
82
Massimiliano Gentili
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
83
Sergio Marinangeli
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
84
Jean-Eudes Demaret
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
85
Walter Pedraza
Colombia es Pasión - Café de Colombia
s.t.
86
Alessandro Bertolini
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
87
Robert Hunter
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
88
François Parisien
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
89
Pablo Urtasun
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
90
John Darwin Atapuma
Colombia es Pasión - Café de Colombia
s.t.
91
Andrey Mizourov
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
92
Alex Meenhorst
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
93
Danilo Di Luca
Katusha Team
s.t.
94
Juan José Oroz
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
95
Sylvain Chavanel
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
96
Davide Frattini
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
97
Daniel Martin
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
98
Camilo Suárez
Colombia es Pasión - Café de Colombia
s.t.
99
Aleksandr Kuschynski
Katusha Team
s.t.
100
Jesús Rosendo
Andalucía Caja Granada
s.t.
101
Matthias Brändle
Nespresso
s.t.
102
Cadel Evans
Katusha Team
s.t.
103
Joost Posthuma
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
104
Ryder Hesjedal
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
105
Nairo Quintana
Colombia es Pasión - Café de Colombia
s.t.
106
Jarlinson Pantano
Colombia es Pasión - Café de Colombia
s.t.
107
Luis Felipe Laverde
Colombia es Pasión - Café de Colombia
s.t.
108
Francesco Ginanni
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
109
Alexander Kholodov
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
110
Robinson Chalapud
Colombia es Pasión - Café de Colombia
s.t.
111
Giuseppe Muraglia
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
112
Tom Thill
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
113
Kohei Uchima
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
114
Christian Vande Velde
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
115
Adrian Hegyvari
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
116
Josep Jufré
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
117
Fredrik Kessiakoff
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
118
Ryan Roth
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
119
Dmitry Kosyakov
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
120
Juan José Cobo
Nespresso
s.t.
121
Michael Tronborg
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
122
Daniel Moreno
Katusha Team
s.t.
123
Tom Da Mota
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
124
Mauricio Alberto Ardila
Nespresso
s.t.
125
David Clarke
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
126
Rafael Valls
Nespresso
s.t.
127
Maarten De Jonge
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
128
Alexander Wetterhall
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
129
Christophe Riblon
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
130
David Blanco
Nespresso
s.t.
131
José Rujano
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
132
Iván Velasco
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
133
Bradley Wiggins
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
134
Mikel Astarloza
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
135
Lucas Euser
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
+ 8'22
136
Viktor Shmalko
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
137
Bruno Langlois
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
138
Daniel Fleeman
Kingspan - Alpro
s.t.
139
Thibault Dupont
Monster Energy - Ford
+ 10'06
140
Stéphane Bonsergent
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
+ 14'32
141
Claudio Corioni
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
142
Javier Benítez
Andalucía Caja Granada
s.t.
143
Junya Sano
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
144
Mickaël Buffaz
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
145
Mauro Da Dalto
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
146
Valerio Agnoli
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
147
Eduard Prades
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
148
José Alberto Benítez
Andalucía Caja Granada
s.t.
149
Alessandro Vanotti
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
150
Hugo Salazar
Colombia es Pasión - Café de Colombia
s.t.
151
Angelo Furlan
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
152
Eros Capecchi
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
153
Egor Silin
Katusha Team
s.t.
154
Giairo Ermeti
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
155
Sergio Carrasco
Andalucía Caja Granada
s.t.
156
Antonio Santoro
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
157
Pietro Caucchioli
Katusha Team
s.t.
158
Alexey Tsatevitch
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
159
Luca Ascani
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
160
Pyotr Bylinkin
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
161
Gaspare Boscolo
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
162
Remco Broers
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
+ 17'41
Points
1
Matthew Goss
Team Qantas
25
50
2
Mark Cavendish
Sky ProCycling
16
36
3
Samuel Dumoulin
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
10
24
4
Oscar Gatto
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
7
23
5
John Degenkolb
M&M's
12
22
Today's winner
Word from the DS
Again no chance, but better than the first stage. But I'm starting to fear that Goss can climb and time trial pretty good as well...
Word from the DS
Very disappointing. Somehow, Sagan wasn't able to follow the wheel of any other sprinter (you know, the arrow-S button, never worked) and the rest was only in the peloton. We are really, really looking forward to the next 2 stages.
As for Bos, hopefuly better stages will come. 
, but what hat Goss got in his bottle
