Stage set for the Tour of Qatar, 16 teams announced for the event
Organisers have released the final list of teams to ride the upcoming Tour of Qatar, scheduled from February 5-10, 2012. A total number of 16 teams will ride the 2012 edition of the race.
The Tour of Qatar usually features a total number of six stages with only one flat stage to favour the sprinters.
However, the coming edition of the race is expected to have as many as four flat and one team’s time trial stage on the car racing track, at Lusail.
BMC Racing Team, Bridgestone Anchor Pro Cycling Team, Champion System, Farnese Neri Cycling Team, FDJ-BigMat, Garmin-Barracuda, GreenEdge Cycling Team and Team Katusha are all listed for the February event.
Other teams to ride the tour include, Liquigas-Cannondale, Lotto-Belisol Team, Omega Pharma-Quick Step Cycling Team, Project 1t4i, Rabobank, Radioshack-Nissan, RTS Racing team and Sky Pro Cycling Team.
The first stage of the race will stretch between the Barzan Towers and the Doha Golf Club. Cyclists will then ride the flat 11.3 kilometre Team Time Trial stage on the second stage of the race.
The 146.5 kilometre stage three of the race will spread between Dukhan and Al Gharafa Stadium. The teams will then start their pursuit at the stage 4, scheduled on February 8th, 2012.
Stage 5 is one of the longest stages of the event, covering a gruelling 160 kilometres between the Camel Race Track and Al Khor Corniche.
The final winner will be decided on a relatively shorter stage 6, at the Sealine Beach Resort, on February 10, 2012.
Australian cyclist, Mark Renshaw won the race last year, with an outstanding performance.
Thorsten Wilhelms of Germany won the first edition of the race, back in 2002, whereas the Belgian star, Tom Boonen has won the competition for a maximum number of three times.
Philippe Gilbert of Team BMC is all set to continue his 2011 form at the Tour of Qatar.
He briefed, "I like this race first because it's put on by Eddy Merckx, meaning it's well organized and perfect. It's also good preparation for the wind and to get a good feeling with our new riders and teammates".
Organisers have done a splendid job to guarantee a fantastic race track. It is believed that Philippe Gilbert will be the biggest challenge for the overall contenders, as the Belgian is enjoying the best run of his form.
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