Wild sprints to win first stage in Qatar Thursday, 02 February 2012 00:22

Kirsten Wild of the Netherlands celebrates her win in the first stage of the Ladies Tour of Qatar yesterday. The race will end tomorrow.  Salim Matramkot

Doha: Two-time Ladies’ Tour of Qatar winner Kirsten Wild of the Netherlands made a triumphant return to Doha with a sprint victory in the opening stage of the three-stage event here yesterday.

Wild, the 2009 and 2010 winner broke free from a seven-woman group to emerge victorious on a blustery day. The Dutch powerhouse, who sat out the 2011 edition, used all her experience on her way to victory in the 97km stage between the Camel Race Track and the Al Khor Corniche. The three-stage event is organised by Qatar Cycling Federation.

“I managed to counter all of the attacks, but it was still very close with Chloe Hoskingon the line. But the victory is there,” said Wild. The tall Dutchwoman was outnumbered but not outfoxed despite being in a breakaway with three riders from GreenEdge and Specialized each.

“I knew I was alone, I knew I may be the fastest, I knew I’d have to watch and go with everyone,” Wild said afterwards. “It worked out. I like it here with the wind and straight roads.”

The lashing wind made for a brutal re-introduction to racing for the women’s peloton. Sand blew across the road, caking riders’ face and forcing visibility down to 200 metres on the arrow-straight arteries which abound in Qatar. Sandstorms turned the horizon white.

But, after joining a late attack into a headwind which regrouped, Wild got the jump to finish ahead of Specialized-Lululemon pair Chloe Hosking and Ellen Van Dijk in the sprint. Wild, who usually rides for AA Drink-Leontien.nl rather than the Dutch national team, took the silver medal at the World Track Cup omnium in Beijing ten days ago.

The peloton was almost immediately hit by crosswinds as it left the Camel Race Track and the seven riders managed to break clear after just a few kilometres. The powerful defending champion van Dijk and Hosking were there from Specialized-lululemon, along with Trixi Worrack, while GreenEDGE-AIS was represented by World time trial champion Judith Arndt, Loes Gunnewijk and former Australian champion Alex Rhodes.

Wild was the only rider not from these two new teams to make her way into the group.

“The break happened really early,” explained GreenEDGE-AIS directeru sportif Dave McPartland.

“We had expected powerful tailwinds and we ended up with crosswinds. The girls realised pretty quickly that the crosswinds would allow them to split things up even earlier than we had planned. They changed tactics on the road. “Together with Specialized-lululemon, we got to the front and split the fields to bits,” he added. “By the ten kilometre mark, the break had gone clear.”

With the seven riders in front riding in team time trial mode, the first hour was covered in an incredible average speed of 53kph. The gap to the next group of riders – which was made up mostly of MCipollini-Giambenini, Stichting Rabo, and 1t4i riders – was almost four minutes behind, with the rest of the peloton several minutes further back.

Hard work from the chasing group managed to bring the gap down to a single minute with 15km to go but, as the finish line approached, it began to open up once more. Inside the last few kilometres the three Dutchwomen in the break – Van Dijk, Wild and Gunnewijk – managed to break clear, but they were all together again to take the sprint, where Wild was, unsurprisingly, fastest.

The combination of the notorious Qatar crosswinds, and the power of the women’s sport’s two biggest teams meant that eighth-placed Monia Baccaille (MCipollini-Giambenini) led the 12-rider group over 2’16 back; the main 70-strong peloton crossed the line almost 14 minutes behind Wild. Time bonuses on the line, as well as some taken at the stage’s two intermediate sprints, put Wild into the gold jersey that she has already taken home twice in her career; the Dutchwoman leads Hosking by eight seconds, and Arndt by nine.

With the terrain and conditions in today’s second stage likely to mirror those of stage one, the two new, powerful teams will almost certainly pursue a similar tactic to try to unseat Wild.

The Peninsula

Ladies Tour of Qatar
Overall General Classification
Result after stage 1
Total distance covered: 97 km
Rider    Team    Time     Gaps
Wild Kirsten      Netherlands     2h 16’ 36”
Hosking Chloe    Team Specialized Lululemon     2h 16’ 44”    + 00’ 08”
Arndt Judith    Greenedge AIS     2h 16’ 45”    + 00’ 09”
Van Dijk Ellen    Team Specialized Lululemon    2h 16’ 46”    + 00’ 10”
Worrack Trixi    Team Specialized Lululemon    2h 16’ 47”    + 00’ 11”
Gunnewijk Loes    Greenedge – AIS    2h 16’ 50”    + 00’ 14”
Rhodes Alexis    Greenedge – AIS    2h 16’ 50”    + 00’ 14”
Baccaille Monia    Mcipollini Giambenini    2h 19’ 06”    + 02’ 30”
Becker Charlotte    Team Specialized Lululemon    2h 19’ 06”    + 02’ 30”
Maclean Jessie    Greenedge – AIS    2h 19’ 06”    + 02’ 30”
Overall Points Standing
Rider    Team    Points
Wild Kirsten     Netherlands    19pts
Arndt Judith    Greenedge – AIS    12pts
Hosking Chloe    Team Specialized Lululemon    12pts
Van Dijk Ellen    Team Specialized Lululemon    9pts
Worrack Trixi    Team Specialized Lululemon    9pts
Gunnewijk Loes    Greenedge – AIS    5pts
Rhodes Alexis    Greenedge – AIS    4pts
Baccaille Monia    Mcipollini Giambenini    3pts
Becker Charlotte    Team Specialized Lululemon    2pts
Maclean Jessie    Greenedge – AIS    1pts
Stage Team Standing
Result after stage 1
Team    Time    Gaps
Team Specialized Lululemon     6h 50’ 30”
Greenedge – AIS     6h 50’ 30”    + 00’ 00”
Mcipollini Giambenini    6h 57’ 18”    + 06’ 48”
Stichting Rabo Women    6h 57’ 18”    + 06’ 48”
Netherlands    7h 18’ 14”    + 27’ 44”
China Chongming-Giant    7h 20’ 23”    + 29’ 53”
SKIL-1t4i    7h 20’ 30”    + 30’ 00”
France    7h 32’ 06”    + 41’ 36”
Topsport Vlaanderen-Ridley 2012    7h 32’ 06”    + 41’ 36”
Germany    7h 32’ 06”    + 41’ 36”
USA    7h 32’ 06”    + 41’ 36”
Hitec Products-Mistral Home    7h 32’ 06”    + 41’ 36”
Lotto Belisol Ladies    7h 32’ 06”    + 41’ 36”
Diadora-Pasta Zara    7h 32’ 06”    + 41’ 36”
Italy    7h 32’ 06”    + 41’ 36”

| More...