THIS WEEK IN PRO CYCLING »

Get the VeloNews Email Newsletter FREE

  Learn More | Archive
Home » Top Stories » Road » Tour of Qatar

Roger Hammond wins Qatar stage 2, takes lead

By VeloNews.com
Published: Feb. 2, 2009
2009 Tour of Qatar, Stage 2: Cervélo's Roger Hammond celebrates a solo victory.
2009 Tour of Qatar, Stage 2: Cervélo's Roger Hammond celebrates a solo victory.
Photo: AFP

Roger Hammond (Cervélo Test Team) won the second stage of the Tour of Qatar on Monday after bringing home a solo attack late in the 134km race around Al Khor.

Hammond, who takes over the race lead from fellow Briton Bradley Wiggins of Garmin-Slipstream, leapt away from a 14-man lead group and finished just one second ahead of a chase headed by Italian Danilo Napolitano (Team Katusha) and including Belgian sprint star Tom Boonen (Quick Step), who finished fourth. Hammond’s teammate Heinrich Haussler took third.

Boonen now sits second in the overall standings, six seconds off the pace.

Tunisian Aymen Ben Hassine (Doha Team) was first to attack in the windy stage from Khalifa Stadium to Al Khor Corniche, taking with him American Chad Beyer (BMC) and Australia’s Robert Williams (Drapac Porsche Cycling).

2009 Tour of Qatar

Stage 2: Khalifa Stadium to Al Khor Corniche, 134km


Winner: Roger Hammond (Cervélo Test Team) wins in a solo break ahead of Katusha's Danilo Napolitano, and Quick Step's Tom Boonen.
Race leader: Hammond now leads Boonen by six seconds.
Average speed of winner: 38.450 kph.
Points leader: Hammond, 30 points.
Best young rider (Under 25): Heinrich Haussler (Cervélo Test Team).
Best team:Cervélo Test Team.
Peloton: 134 riders.

The trio had built a lead of seven minutes over the pack at the 30km point, where Omar Hasanin (Doha Team) and Gatis Smukulis (Ag2r-La Mondiale) decided to take off after the leaders. Eleven kilometers later the leading three enjoyed a five-minute margin over the pursuit and 14:25 over the peloton.

At 55km, after the first intermediate sprint at Al Jemailiya — claimed by Ben Hassine ahead of Beyer and Williams, who had been dropped — a change in direction and a favorable wind helped break the field into five groups, with speedsters Boonen and Mark Cavendish (Team Columbia-High Road) up front and race leader Wiggins bringing up the rear.

At the 70km mark, the leaders held but a minute on the chase, now some 30 riders strong, and were reeled in 7km later. Cervélo had seven of its eight men in the mix and set a powerful pace, leaving Cavendish and 2007 winner Wilfried Cretskens (Silence-Lotto) in their dust.

As Cavendish, Filippo Pozzato (Team Katusha), Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank) and Francesco Chicchi (Liquigas) formed a chase, the lead group — now down to about 15 men — clung to a lead of a minute with 30km to race, then doubled it with 10km remaining.

With Boonen in the group, Cervélo sent first one rider, then another off the front, and then Hammond shot away with 3km to go. It proved the right move at the right time — the Brit hung on to win by a single second and take the race leader’s golden jersey and a six-second cushion over Boonen.

"It's a great collective victory," said the 35-year-old Hammond, praising his team for their hard work. "In a sprint into the wind I would have had no chance against Boonen, so I preferred to anticipate.”

Hammond noted that this stage win had come just five months after his team Cervélo — which includes reigning Tour de France champion Carlos Sastre of Spain — was launched.

"This first success is reward for all the team who've worked really hard over the winter. The aim now is to win this Tour of Qatar and then to make our mark in the races that follow."

Tuesday's third stage will take the peloton over 137.5km from Al Zubarah to Doha.

Related