Mark Cavendish (30) won with help from Edvald Boasson Hagen (28) the first stage in the Tour of Qatar. Alexander Kristoff (28) were allowed to start – but was parked in the sprint.
Cavendish showed in the sprint that he has tremendous confidence in his new teammate Hagen, who was sixth. Alexander Kristoff got a nice draw and had every opportunity – but disappointed big when it mattered. He ended fifth.
All three Norwegians – Kristoff, Sven Erik Bystrøm and Edvald Boasson Hagen – set in tetgruppen on 21 man. So did Mark Cavendish, which this year runs for Hagens team, now called Dimension Data.
See also: Kristoff did not have managed before him.
This was the first time Cavendish, Edvald Boasson Hagen and Tyler Farrar drove along. Cavendish easily won the sprint after 176 toad flat kilometers.
Kristoff season opened last year by winning three stages in the Tour of Qatar. He totaled 20 victories in 2015 – most of all in the sport. Monday he was fifth in the first race.
– I was ready to fight for victory, but we took maybe a little too much responsibility at the end. I thought it would be a bit faster finishing straight with a slight tailwind, but I do not think it went so fast there. They came from behind in fairly high speed. Then it was difficult to answer. I had not quite the legs to respond either. I never came up in the pace they had. I do not think I was good enough today, but I might have been a little closer if we had run a little better draw.
– We tried. We had not fixed drawdown riders. They were in the group in the back. It was a bit halfway through the day, but there are more days, continues Kristoff to TV2.
It was beforehand excitement about Team Katusha team’s riders could start, but there was no message from the UCI (International Cycling Union ) that they were banned.
Read also : Kristoff for doping-disclosure: Do not feel it destroys the image.
the reason is that Katjusjuas Eduard Vorganos tested positive for doping. This is the second doping case the team has under 12 months, according to the new anti-doping rules means that Team Katusha risk the whole team to their being banned from 15 to 45 days.
In the Tour de France this summer was Kristoffer domestique Luca Paolini taken cocaine use.
See also: Teammate taken for doping – can affect Kristoff hard.
– We should start. Well we had been told otherwise, said Kristoff TV2 before starting.
Tour of Qatar is important for Kristoff that charge to our classics.
Currently, it is not known if also B sample to Vorganov is positive.
Read also : Kristoff coach after dopingavsløringen: Speechless and shocked.
– I do not feel that this case destroys for my own image, but for the team it’s crap to have a positive doping case, and it could hurt me if we get a penalty for the whole team, said Alexander Kristoff at a news conference in Qatar Sunday.
Tour of Qatar consists of five stages, which runs from Monday to Friday this week.
Preliminary results:
1. Mark Cavendish 3.28.46
2. Sacha Modolo
3. Andrea Guardini
4. Sam Bennett
5. Alexander Kristoff
6. Edvald Boasson Hagen
7. Greg Van Avermaet
8. Manuel Quinziato
9. Arnaud Gerard
10. Soren Kragh Andersen
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