What a big difference a little wind can make. If Tuesday’s bunch finish opener had been the Ladies Tour of Qatar at its most straightforward, then stage two to Al Khor Corniche saw the race at its attritional best, as Katrin Garfoot (Orica-AIS) soloed into the gold jersey and overnight leader Kirsten Wild (Hitec Products) lost almost four minutes and all hope of final overall victory on a day of crosswinds, crashes and mechanical problems.
The stage descended into something resembling hand-to-hand combat from the moment the race swung right and into a crosswind after 48 kilometres, and there was scarcely any respite from there all the way to the finish, as the peloton splintered into shards.
The on-form Garfoot, winner of last month’s Santos Women’s Tour, missed the initial 11-strong echelon on the front, but she was quickly back up to speed as part of the chasing group that saw it swell to 26 riders. From there, the Australian scarcely put a pedal stroke out of place, first tracking a dangerous move from Elisa Longo Borghini (Wiggle-High5) inside the final 30 kilometres, and then making the final 10-rider selection in the finale.
ADVERTISEMENT
Garfoot was present and correct once again when she drifted off the front in the company of Trixi Worrack (Canyon Sram Racing), Amy Pieters (Wiggle-High5) and Romy Kasper (Boels-Dolmans) with three kilometres remaining, and she proceeded to press clear alone once in the outskirts of the fishing town of Al Khor.
“When I turned around, no one was there, so if I went for it and they didn’t seem to chase. No one wanted to chase. That was it – head down and go for it, and either I made it or I didn’t,” Garfoot told reporters after claiming a solo victory. “So I’m pretty stoked.”
Worrack pipped Pieters in the sprint for second place 13 seconds later, while Chloe Hosking (Wiggle-High5) led a group containing Ellen van Dijk (Boels Dolmans), Longo Borghini and Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon-Sram) home a shade under a minute down.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://ift.tt/1S2w42Z
No comments:
Post a Comment