Tour of Qatar

rick_chasey

Seems like it'll be popular this year, since Feb is going to be veery cold.

Anyone know if Boonen is going?

RichN95.

Rick Chasey wrote:

Seems like it'll be popular this year, since Feb is going to be veery cold.

Anyone know if Boonen is going?

He's on the startlist, but he might still be sulking after losing in Flanders a couple of nights ago.

rick_chasey

.

sonny73

First road race of the year on Eurosport (2) Sunday 12.15pm, looking forward to that.

sonny73

Here's the start list:
http://www.letour.fr/2012/TQA/RIDERS/us/engages.html

RonB

Thanks for the link. I hope to follow when I can. Do folks expect to see a dominant lead out team post HTC (Rabobank/ Sky for Griepel/ Cavendish) or would that be revealing too much too early in the season?

& another one... are there time bonus points at the finish, or will most splits be down to the albeit short TTT?

ilm_zero7

should be great - the ladies are here this week too

emadden

Good to see the RTS Racing Team in the line-up...

Last year they were sponsored by 7-Eleven and their kit was a very cool modern version of the historic 7-Eleven kit of the '80s... I wonder are they sponsored by 7-Eleven again this year (which wouldnt surprise me as 7-Eleven is so big in Asia)

ilm_zero7

just seen an email from Hayden Roulston - he is injured and wont be coming to Qatar

sherer

i'll watch this, IIRC I recorded this during the day last year and then watched it when I got home. Not a great race but at least it is something to watch.

Should be followed by the Tour of Oman the week after which was on Eurosport last year too.

I assume the women's race will get no coverage at all

rick_chasey

Can't believe I'm actually looking forward to this.

Was always so disparaging about it.

I'm sure the endless shots of nothing will bore me to tears soon enough.

corona

If the wind keeps up it should make for an interesting race with the chance of a few splits. It's the ladies tour just now, they are battling through very windy conditions. What makes it worse is the sand and dust it picks up, it's horrible breathing it in. There cant have been much paint left on their bikes yesterday it was like being sandblasted when outside.

rick_chasey

Kirstin Wild won from a breakaway of 7.

Guess it was windy.



1 Kirsten Wild (Ned) Netherlands 2:16:50
2 Chloe Hosking (Aus) Team Specialized Lululemon
3 Elen Van Dijk (Ned) Team Specialized Lululemon
4 Judith Arndt (Ger) GreenEdge-AIS
5 Trixi Worrack (Ger) Team Specialized Lululemon
6 Loes Gunnewijk (Ned) GreenEdge-AIS
7 Alexis Rhodes (Aus) GreenEdge-AIS
8 Monia Baccaille (Ita) MCipollini Giambenini 0:02:16
9 Charlotte Becker (Ger) Team Specialized Lululemon
10 Jessie Maclean (Aus) GreenEdge-AIS
11 Regina Bruins (Ned) Skil-1t4i
12 Dongyan Huang (Chn) China Chongming-Giant
13 Elena Cecchini (Ita) MCipollini Giambenini
14 Liesbeth De Vocht (Bel) Stichting Rabo Women
15 Sarah Düster (Ger) Stichting Rabo Women
16 Iris Slappendel (Ned) Stichting Rabo Women
17 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) MCipollini Giambenini
18 Alessandra Borchi (Ita) MCipollini Giambenini
19 Amanda Spratt (Aus) GreenEdge-AIS
20 Yunyun Yuan (Chn) China Chongming-Giant 0:13:45

Ron Stuart

Spectators out yesterday and there must have been over a dozen at the finish :oops:


This is the tour that needs televising here



Tour of the Algarve 2011, Malhao finish uphill, last three km 13% I know I had just ridden it prior to these boys arriving, Bertie was third on this stage :!: Cummings won and took yellow

frenchfighter

Etoile de Bessèges Feb 1 -5.
Kittel came 2nd on stage 1.
Getty


Algarve 2012 is Feb 15-19. Was great last year - stage winners: Gilbert, Degenkolb, Cummings, Greipel, Martin.
St 3, http://www.digitalmaistv.com/index.html?id=1644

LeicesterLad

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/greipel ... r-of-qatar

archieboy

Stg2: Trixie Worrack beats Judith Arndt in two up sprint. Kirsten Wild 3rd.

Pross

ILM Zero7 wrote:

should be great - the ladies are here this week too

I'm surprised they are happy for women to wear lycra cycling kit in public over there.

rick_chasey

Pross wrote:

ILM Zero7 wrote:

should be great - the ladies are here this week too

I'm surprised they are happy for women to wear lycra cycling kit in public over there.

It's Qatar.

Most days you can find bikini clad women sipping a cosmopolitan in the 27 star hotels or whatever it is now.

Pross

Rick Chasey wrote:

Pross wrote:

ILM Zero7 wrote:

should be great - the ladies are here this week too

I'm surprised they are happy for women to wear lycra cycling kit in public over there.

It's Qatar.

Most days you can find bikini clad women sipping a cosmopolitan in the 27 star hotels or whatever it is now.

I hadn't realised they were so liberal, thought things were usually OK within the confines of hotels but not on the public streets.

Mad Roadie

Pross wrote:

ILM Zero7 wrote:

should be great - the ladies are here this week too

I'm surprised they are happy for women to wear lycra cycling kit in public over there.

guys'' yo need to widen your horizons.... the women are stunning

cal_stewart

some would get it. stunning far from

frenchfighter

World Champ hits the deck
Getty

Doobz

frenchfighter wrote:

World Champ hits the deck

looks like she hit a........

a......

What actually happened there?

frenchfighter

No idea, i'd like to know. The other pictures show her a good 10m to the side of the riders. Maybe she was blown off...

As an aside; a ladies cycling issue:

Let me finish. You got kicked in the heart. You got kicked in the head. You got kicked in the soul and in the spaces where disappointment hurts an athlete most. But you still have your legs. So kick back.

The switch flips. My sadness turns a corner and runs smack into self-reliance. No matter the mental obstacles, an athlete is still in control of her body, and that has to be enough. I do have my legs, and should the UCI ever rip them off, I’ve got plenty of duct tape. So, here and now, I’m kicking back.

On the bike today, I kicked out the last of the sadness. I kicked out the burden I cannot control. I kicked myself into a reestablished dream. I kicked out higher watt averages than I have all year. I knew nothing good would come from kicking the governing body of my sport. What’s done is done. So instead, I kicked where the sun don’t shine. And laughed while it cried.

So go ahead, UCI, take my points away. I’ll get more. And while you’re at it, take my disappointment, my heartache and my frustration. I don’t need those, either. Here are some other things you can take: take the high road when it comes to helping federations that are still growing in the sport of cycling. Take caution when taking away what an athlete’s earned. Take care of your cyclists, fight for them and not against.

http://espn.go.com/espnw/athletes-life/ ... yn-bertine
http://espn.go.com/espnw/kathryn-bertine/

Pross

Doobz wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

World Champ hits the deck

looks like she hit a........

a......

What actually happened there?

Bizarre looking crash isn't it? I assume she clipped one of the riders to the side but by time the photo was taken she was well away from them.

corona

Final day today, I had a great day planned. Early morning ride, in to Doha to watch a bit of the Doha masters (golf) then the finish of the ladies race.

Ride had a puncture before I got going, The golf is suspended due to high winds, I'm wandering if the cycling will be on. Has a stage ever been cancelled due to high winds before?

frenchfighter

Hard luck! Etoile de Bessèges stage 2 was shortened toi 58km yday due to high winds and snow. But remember this is France! Admittedly it was ridiculously cold.

marlin151

Anyone local know if they plan to keep next Friday's final stage from Sealine into Doha open after the Pro's have been through? - I read that this happened in previous years and was a good opportunity to meet them at the start and then for locals ride into Doha (hoping for a tail wind). Can't find any upto date info on QatarChainreaction club site. Cheers.

Art Vandelay

Pross wrote:

Doobz wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

World Champ hits the deck

looks like she hit a........
a......
What actually happened there?

Bizarre looking crash isn't it? I assume she clipped one of the riders to the side but by time the photo was taken she was well away from them.

Her crank fell off. You can see from the pic it's the LHS one.

Ron Stuart

Art Vandelay wrote:

Pross wrote:

Doobz wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

World Champ hits the deck

looks like she hit a........
a......
What actually happened there?

Bizarre looking crash isn't it? I assume she clipped one of the riders to the side but by time the photo was taken she was well away from them.

Her crank fell off. You can see from the pic it's the LHS one.

Yep, top pic shows it lying on white dashed line, she got it lumped back on and rode gingerly to finish. Mechanic is first in court after Chris Huhne :P