Second stage this year for Belgian sprinter – and twenty in his career – who increases his overall lead
Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) took an incredible twentieth career stage victory in the Tour of Qatar, and his second in the 2012 race, as his team blew the race apart in the wind. The big Belgian former World champion was the only sprinter left in the lead group, which had been whittled down to six by the time it reached the finish line, and he quite easily saw off the challenge of Tom Veelers (Project 1t4i) and his big Classics rival Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan).
Once again the wind proved decisive on the 147.5km pan-flat course between Al Thakhira and Madinat Al Shamal, with the variable direction of the two 13km finishing straights taken advantage of by Boonen’s strong Belgian team.
“This is an important step towards the general classification,” said Boonen afterwards. “The more difficult the race conditions, the more the riders who are in top shape are emerging. Today our team had a perfect race. Once again Steegmans carried me perfectly. I have great faith in Gert and again today we proved our worth.”
With main rival Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Barracuda) left behind in the closing kilometres, Boonen’s victory – as well as the ten bonus seconds – make him even more secure in the race lead. The American is now 31 seconds behind Boonen, with fourth place on the stage, Juan Antonio Flecha (Team Sky) moving up to third overall.
“It won’t be easy to defend the jersey in these next few days but I’m lucky to have a great team with me,” Boonen continued. “Personally, I feel good and I’m looking forward to the last stages with confidence, even if in the desert flat tyres and echelons are part of the course.”
Two men take advantage of a tailwind but it turns on them in the second half
With a tailwind start, the two man break of Lars Bak (Lotto-Belisol) and Miyataka Shimizu (Bridgestone-Anchor) got away after 33km, and were allowed to open a lead of seven minutes at kilometre 57. They were allowed to take the first sprint, Al Zubara after 81km; Aidis Kruopis (GreenEDGE), the previous day’s third place finisher, took the final point – and bonus second – still some 5’20” behind them.
As the race turned into the wind though, it became increasingly difficult for the two fugitives, and Shimizu was caught after 104km. Bak was a little more stubborn, but was swallowed up by the peloton at the 112km point; with just over 30km to go, the real action was about to start, as the peloton hit the finishing circuit.
In the build up to second sprint, which was the first crossing of the finish line with 26km to go, Omega Pharma-Quick Step blew the race apart as they turned a corner and hit the crosswind. A big crash near the side of the road saw a number of riders come down, and unfortunately Team Sky’s Michael Barry didn’t get up.
A group of 17 riders detached from the front of the peloton, as Boonen edged out Farrar at the sprint; most of the Omega Pharma-Quick Step team were present in the group, along with a number from Garmin-Barracuda, and they kept the pressure on to increase the gap.
There were three riders from Team Sky in the front group – with Flecha, Bernhard Eisel and Ian Stannard – but, crucially, not World champion stage three winner Mark Cavendish; also up there were former World champion Thor Hushovd and British sprinter Adam Blythe (both BMC Racing), Swiss champion Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) and Kruopis.
Caught behind the split were most of the big sprinters in the race, including Cavendish, Mark Renshaw (Rabobank), Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) and Andrea Guardini (Farnese Vini-Selle Italia. The GreenEDGE, Farnese Vini-Selle Italia and Lotto-Belisol teams were working hard on the front of the second group, but the gap remained static at between 19 and 23 seconds as the race approached the final 20km.
Into the final twenty it’s all over for the chasers
As the front group passed the 20km to go banner the gap ticked over to 25 seconds, then 26, then 27; riders to the rear of the second group were struggling for wheels and it began to split further as gaps began to appear.
Cavendish himself was forced to join a working line, along with the Farnese Vini-Selle Italia team, to close a big gap in the middle of the second peloton. Up at the front of the race though, the World champion’s teammates were working hard, and the gap grew to more than 30 seconds as they entered the final 15km.
It was 39 seconds as they crossed the finish line for the penultimate time; as Irish champion Matt Brammeier (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) positioned himself on the front of the chase group to slow it down even further.
With 10km to go the gap between the first and second groups was up to 55 seconds, and the race was now over for those left behind; just a kilometre later it was up to 1’10”.
As the front group approached the final 5km the pace dropped a little, and Cancellara put in one of his trademark attacks; Blythe glued himself to the Swiss champion’s wheel, and the two of them left the rest behind. As the rest of the group struggled to catch up with the leading pair riders began to drop off the back as the group splintered.
Ramunas Navardauskas (Garmin-Cervélo) – having done so much to establish the group’s lead – was dropped immediately, shortly followed by Kruopis and Farrar, who both punctured.
Gert Steegmans pulled Boonen and Flecha up to the leader, just as Blythe punctured and dropped off, then Tom Veelers (Project 1t4i) struggled across with Nikolas Maes (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) on his wheel.
There were now six in the lead, of which three were from Omega Pharma-Quick Step; on paper there was nobody there that could challenge Boonen in the sprint.
Having got a virtually free ride to the front, Maes put in a massive turn then pulled off, just as Cancellara made an early dash for the line. Not even the Swiss powerhouse was a match for the duo of Steegmans and Boonen though, and as Steegmans pulled his team leader forward, Boonen opened up and cruised by.
Veelers made a desperate attempt to get on terms, and succeeded in clawing his way past Cancellara, but Boonen hit the line several lengths clear.
Flecha was the next over, followed by Steegmans and Maes, with the rest of the group trickling over behind them.
Result stage 4
1. Tom Boonen (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
2. Tom Veelers (Ned) Project 1t4i
3. Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioiShack-Nissan
4. Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa) Team Sky
5. Gert Steegmans (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step @ 4s
6. Nikolas Maes (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step @ 11s
7. Yoann Offredo (Fra) FDJ-BigMat @ 14s
8. Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Team Sky
9. Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Barracuda
10. Adam Blythe (GBr) BMC Racing Team @ 36s
Standings after stage 4
1. Tom Boonen (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
2. Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Barracuda @ 31s
3. Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa) Team Sky @ 34s
4. Gert Steegmans (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step @ 36s
5. Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Team Sky @ 45s
6. Tom Veelers (Ned) Project 1t4i @ 50s
7. Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack-Nissan @ 1’06”
8. Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Garmin-Barracuda @ 1’09”
9. Aidis Kruopis (Ltu) GreenEDGE @ 1’10”
10. Adam Blythe (GBr) BMC Racing Team @ 1’14”