Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) won the Tour of Qatar after defending his slim overall lead in the final stage sprint on the Doha Corniche on Friday.
Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) won the high-speed sprint after going shoulder to shoulder with Cavendish and so took a ten-second time bonus but Cavendish gained a six-second time bonus for second place. That allowed him to win the overall classification.
Roy Jans (Wanty - Groupe Gobert) was a distant third in the sprint, with Ireland’s Sam Bennett (Bora-Argon 18) sixth.
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Kristoff was second in the final overall classification, five seconds behind Cavendish. Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) was third at eight seconds. It is the second time Cavendish has won the Tour of Qatar after his first victory in 2013.
Cavendish and Kristoff both lunged at the finish line after sprinting side by side in the final 200 metres. Cavendish had ensured he was on Kristoff’s wheel in the finale of the sprint after being piloted and then dropped off by teammates Mark Renshaw and Edvald Boasson Hagen.
Kristoff went early, opening up his power and forcing Cavendish to respond. He came off Kristoff’s wheel and along side him but lacked a few extra watts of power to move ahead. Cavendish stood slumped over his bars for several minutes as he recovered from his huge effort. He seemed disappointed to have lost the sprint but was happy to have won the overall classification.
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