EN BREF
| Stage winner | Tom BOONEN |
 (golden jersey) |
Tom BOONEN |
 (silver jersey) |
Tom BOONEN |
 (blue jersey) |
Nick INGELS |
TOUS LES CLASSEMENTS
| Stage |
|---|
 |
|
• Individual time • Individual points • Best young • Best team |
|
| Overall |
|
|
• Individual time • Individual points • Best young • Best team |
ÉTAPES PAR ÉTAPES
| 1 | Monday 30 January | 131.5 km |
| Khalifa Stadium > Al Khor Corniche | ||
| 2 | Tuesday 31 January | 138 km |
| Camel Race Track > Al Khor Corniche | ||
| 3 | Wednesday 1 February | 160 km |
| Sealine Beach Resort > Khalifa Stadium | ||
| 4 | Thursday 2 February | 144 km |
| Al Zubarah > Qatar Olympic Committee | ||
| 5 | Friday 3 February | 151.5 km |
| Al Thakhira > Doha Corniche | ||
| Total | 725 km | |
LA COURSE
Tuesday 31 January 2006| stage 2 | Camel Race Track > Al Khor Corniche - 138 km |  |
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|---|
Boonen does it again!
Already a winner of the Doha International Grand-Prix and the first stage of the Tour of Qatar, World Champion Tom Boonen again captured the day’s stage after a sprint finish. The stage featured a long breakaway of his Belgian compatriot Pieter Ghyllebert. Boonen increases his overall lead.
LE FILM DE L'ÉTAPE
Grey skies nice temperatures. Windy, flat course, 133 riders at the start.
Pack breaks immediately
After a first solo attempt from Frenchman Canouet, the race pace and the three-quarter-face wind broke the pack into three groups at km 15. In the first group were the three leading jersey holders, Boonen, Zabel and Cancellara but under the influence of the Milram and Phonak teams, not that well represented up front, the pack joined up together. After suffering a fall Dutchman Elizen was forced to quit the race.
Ghyllebert alone in the lead
A change in direction heading north-east slowed down the pack and Ghyllebert (Chocolade Jacques) managed to break away and increase his leadership: 3’10’’ at km 50. He made it to the first intermediate sprint in Al Jernaliya (km 61) with an 8’ advantage on the pack led by Clerc and Breschel. At the feeding zone (km 78) Ghyllebert enjoyed a 12’47 lead.
Pack reacts
At the second intermediate sprints in Al Ghumariya (km 88) the pack remained well adrift: 14’20’’, its maximum gap. Clerc and Van Hummel clinched second and third spot of the sprint. The final part of the stage heading to Al Khor saw the riders enjoy a more favourable wind. The pack eased up the pace considerably while a fall forced Stubbe and Dall’Antonia to withdraw.
Ghyllebert loses ground
From then on, the gap between the leading man and the pack dropped down: 7’40’’ at 25 km from the finish, 4’ at 13 km, 2’40’’ at 8 km, due to the pace set by the Quickstep riders. Ghyllebert, who seriously started losing energy, was eventually caught with 4 kilometres to go.
Two out of two for Boonen
The sprinter’s teammates started controlling the race, especially those of Tom Boonen. The Skil-Shimano men were however also in the battle. After Cancellara started the final sprint, Boonen captured the win again and kept his overall leader’s golden jersey as well as the points jersey. The blue jersey for the best young rider is now on the shoulders of Nick Ingels.
LE MAGAZINE
THE BLUE TRAIN
After three straight wins, one in the Doha GP and the first two stages of the Tour of Qatar, the Quick Step team led by its leader Tom Boonen really looks to be the team to beat in the first races of the season. Servais Knaven explains the secret of the Belgian team. “I come from the Netherlands and we grew up with the wind and flat roads. I’m used to these conditions and I think that everyone can learn from me. New riders learn from the other riders. And the team works together. That’s the most important thing with a lot of wind like here. When I was a junior I was always riding on circuits like this. For me it’s like a way of life…”
A way of life that Fabian Cancellara doesn’t really share. The Swiss CSC rider hopes to have the key to beat Tom Boonen. “It isn’t easy but he’s not a machine. He’s a person like us. He isn’t perfect but he’s very strong. That’s the problem. I’m not afraid. I know him very well. I’ve competed against him for many years so I know what I can do to beat him”. The battle has really started!