It has become tradition for teams to send their Classics squads to Qatar in preparation for their assault on the cobbles in spring – and while there is a world of difference between the baking hot, pan-flat desert and an ice cold, leg-sapping berg it is easy to see why. There may be no cobbles to negotiate, but the sand and sharp rocks strewn across the road are proving almost as hazardous – if not more.
Lars Boom punctured at an unfortunate time in stage four, which cost him his third place overall, while Fabian Cancellara suffered a similar fate. And on stage five, riders were dropping off the back of the bunch for a wheel change with alarming regularity, particularly on the long, back straight of the circuitous route. Alexander Kristoff (Katusha), Martin Kohler (BMC Racing) and a disgusted-looking Danny Pate (Team Sky) were just a handful of riders to suffer. The roads may be flat, but with the winds and road debris wreaking havoc, don’t let anybody tell you riding through the desert is easy.
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