News

The fifth edition of the Ladies Tour of Qatar will pit two-time winner Kirsten Wild against some of the regular fixtures on the podium.

The elite women's peloton is heading to Doha for the first big event of the season, with January 29 marking the start of a four-day showdown on the roads of Qatar.  The general classification of the "Ladies" has a penchant for coming down to the wire, and the extra stage added to the race this year will not necessarily reduce the gaps at the end. Two of the ninety women on the start list have already been crowned queens of the desert, although Kirsten Wild's Middle Eastern palmarès (2009 and 2010) still outshines Ellen van Dijk's (2011). In the fifth edition of the race, the ITT world bronze medallist in Valkenburg will bring to bear her experience in close battles: the Dutch rider took both of her previous wins in Qatar with just four seconds to spare in the general classification. This could fire up all the second-placed riders in the history of the race, starting with Georgia Bronzini, who finished runner-up to Wild in both of her victories. The Italian will also come up against Kirsten Wild's teammate Charlotte Becker, who took the second podium spot in 2011, as well as another German, last year's runner-up Triki Worrack.

15 teams: main contenders

Germany
German national team (GER): Fischer (GER)

Australia
Orica - AIS (GEW): Johansson (SWE), Cromwell (AUS)

Belgium
Topsport Vlaanderen-Bioracer (VLL): Vekemans (BEL)

United States
Specialized-Lululemon (SLU): Worrack (GER), Van Dijk (NED)
Team Tibco - To The Top (TIB): Olds (USA)

France
French national team (FRA): Rousse, Lesueur (FRA)

Great Britain
Wiggle Honda (WHT): Bronzini (ITA), Gilmore (AUS)

Hong Kong
China Chongming-Giant (GPC): Huang (CHN)

Italy
Bepink (BPK): Amialiusik (BLR), Cantele (ITA)
Italian national team (ITA): Cecchini (ITA)
MCipollini Giordana (MCG): Guderzo (ITA)

Norway
Hitec Products-UCK (HPU): Moberg (NOR)

Netherlands
Dutch national team (NED): Bras (NED)
Rabo Women Cycling Team (RBW): Slappendel (NED)
Team Argos-Shimano (SKI): Wild (NED), Becker (GER)

Top of the page

For its fifth edition, the Ladies Tour of Qatar is growing in scale with an extra day of racing, moving from three to four stages. The event is the unmissable event of the start to the women’s cycling season and will commence on 29th January from Doha Bay in the magnificent setting of the Museum of Islamic Art, designed in 2008 by Ieoh Ming Pei, the architect responsible for the Louvre Pyramid, before finishing on 1st February on the waterfront of the Qatari capital.

Three years ahead of the world championships that will take place for the first time in Qatar, the best cyclists of the international pack will try to tame the windy roads of the emirate. Fifteen teams, representing ten different nationalities, will be striving to do their best and obtain the Golden Jersey worn by the leader of the general classification, won last year by Germany’s Judith Arndt.

The 15 teams enrolled

Australia
Orica - AIS

Belgium
Topsport Vlaanderen – Bioracer - Ridley

China
China Chongming – Giant Procyling

France
French national team

Germany
German national team
Team Specialized Lululemon

Italy
Italian national team
BePink
MCipollini Giordana Galassia

Netherlands
Dutch national team
Rabo Women Cycling Team
Team Argos-Shimano

Norway
Hitec Products UCK

United Kingdom
DTPC Wiggle - Honda

USA
TIBCO to the Top

Top of the page