Tuft and Houle contest the Tour of Qatar

The 13th edition of the Tour of Qatar, the second of three February stage races in the Middle East, got underway in Al Wakra on Sunday, with Niki Terpstra (The Netherlands/Omega Pharma-Quickstep) taking the opening stage’s sprint victory at Durkhan Beach. In the ranks of the UCI 2.HC-level race starters were Canadians Svein Tuft (Orica-GreenEdge) and Hugo Houle (Ag2r).

The Tour of Qatar is known for its sprints and echelons, as hot winds tend to wear down the riders. Terpstra’s teammate Tom Boonen (Belgium), four-time winner of the race, is looking to keep the title with Omega Pharma after Brit Mark Cavendish’s victory last season. Boonen placed sixth on Sunday’s opening stage.

Boonen will be dueling with Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland/Trek Factory Racing), who is winding up his season for the spring Classics. Andre Greipel (Germany/Lotto Belisol) is coming off of two Tour Down Under stage wins and is always a threat in the surges to the finish line.

The Tour of Qatar comes after the Dubai Tour, won by American Taylor Phinney (BMC) on Saturday even though Marcel Kittel (Germany/Giant-Shimano) took three of the four stages. The race in Qatar finishes Friday in Doho Corniche. The next Middle Eastern race is the hillier Tour of Oman from Feb. 18 to 23.