After three years of existence, the Ladies Tour of Qatar has succeeded in becoming one of the unmissable events at the start of the cycling season.
The 2011 edition will be graced by the presence of World Champion Georgia Bronzini and Olympic Champion Nicole Cooke. On Wednesday 2nd February, the elite of the women’s discipline will once again have converged on Doha to start the race which finishes on Friday 4th February. For such a prestigious race, prestigious stages were a must and consequently the route will not disappoint, since the programme boasts the splendid Museum of Islamic Art, the Camel Race Track and a finish on the Doha Corniche waterfront. 15 teams, including 6 national teams and 9 sporting groups, made up of 90 riders will be battling for victory on this new edition of the Ladies Tour of Qatar.
GERMANY
German national team (GER): Brennauer
AUSTRALIA
Australian national team (AUS): Broun
BELGIUM
Lotto Honda Team (LHT): Gilmore, Hacth
FRANCE
French national team (FRA): Jeuland
GREAT BRITAIN
Garmin-Cervelo (CWT): Cantele
CHINA
China Chongming-Giant (GPC): Gu
ITALY
Italian national team (ITA): Bronzini
Gauss (GAU): Borchi
SC MCipollini Giodana (MCG): Cooke, Guderzo
Vaiano Solaritech (VAI): Bastianelli
NETHERLANDS
Dutch national team (NED): Bras
Nederland Bloeit (NLB): Gunnewijk
Skil-Koga Cycling Team: De Goede, Knetemann
USA
HTC Highroad Women (TCW): Van Dijk
American national team (USA): Crowell
The Ladies Tour of Qatar, now in its second edition, has already made an indelible mark on the racing calendar’s start of the season.
From 3 to 5 February, Kirsten Wild, the world number two and the winner in 2009, will be back in an attempt to reconquer the routes of Qatar. A quest which will be contested by many, in particular by Giorgia Bronzini, double stage winner and second in the classifications last year, who will be returning thirsty for further victories. Ellen Van Dijk, always well placed in the sprints, and the best Young rider of 2009, will also be eager to seize the gold tunic this year. The 90 women champions will engage in combat throughout the stages, where they will also have to duel with the wind and the environment. Their daily struggles will unfurl among the splendid settings of the Museum of Islamic Art, the Al Khor Corniche, the Al Zubarah fort, the Oryx Farm, and the Sealine Beach Resort, culminating with the last act on the sumptuous Doha Corniche.
This year, 15 teams - seven national teams and eight sporting teams - representing 16 different nationalities will be racing towards victory in the Ladies Tour of Qatar.
Australia
AUSTRALIAN TEAM (AUS): Broun (AUS)
Belgium
LOTTO-LADIES TEAM (LBL): Gilmore (AUS)
China
GIANT PRO CYCLING (GPC): Gao (CHI)
France
FRENCH TEAM (FRA): Jeuland (FRA)
Germany
GERMAN TEAM (GER): Worrack (GER)
CERVELO TEST TEAM (RLT): Armitstead (GBR), Wild (Hol)
TEAM COLUMBIA WOMAN (TCW): Arndt (GER), Cantele (ITA), Van Dijk (NED)
Italy
ITALIAN TEAM (ITA): Bronzini (ITA)
SAFI-PASTA ZARA MANHATTAN (SAF): Civinaite (LIT)
The Netherlands
ARCOLRIS - NEDERLAND: Gunnewijk (NED)
REDSUN CYCLING TEAM (RSC): Johansson (SWE)
DUTCH TEAM (NED): Bras (NED)
South Africa
TEAM MTN (MTW): Ljungskog (SUE)
Switzerland
SWISS TEAM (SUI): Wolfer (SUI)
USA
USA TEAM (USA): Miller (USA)