Tour of Qatar

The Terpinator

Niki Terpstra and Omega Pharma Quick Step could not be stopped in the middle east.  It was a race for the strongmen on the flat desert expanses of Qatar highlighted by heat and crosswinds.  This is a race for the sprinters but the GC was decided by a stage one breakaway, a stage two Omega Pharma echelon and a solid TT.  After that OPQS were able to control the stages rather easily.  If you call a 57 km/hr pace easy.  Yup, 135 km at a 57 km per hour pace.  In old money that's 35 miles per hour!  That's my max speed bombing down a hill.  They did that in the wind for over 2 hours.  Crazy.  The sprints decided the lesser placings with Boonen, Greipel and Roelands taking some solid points.  But in the end, it was Maillot Jaune Guillaume with Niki Terpstra making the big score moving him into 2nd place overall.