Tour of Qatar 2016: The Route
The Tour of Qatar begins on Monday, February 8, and is set to finish after five stages. All courses are flat and, given the open terrain and Qatarian winds, echelons are more than likely to occur. That is, with the exception of stage 3, which is an individual time trial. Cyclingstage.com takes a closer look at the full route of the 2016 Tour of Qatar.
Stage 1 of the Tour of Qatar leads from Dukhan at the west coast to Al Khor Corniche at the east coast. Traversing the open terrains of the desert, chances are echelons breaks the peloton into pieces. Previous finishes in Al Khor Corniche were won by André Greipel and Alexander Kristoff, both after outsprinting a decimated pack.
While mostly raced in an urban area, namely capital Doha, stage 2 is expected to bring less cross winds. The course is partly the same as in the road race of upcoming World Championships.
Ambitious riders should be prepared for stage 3, a short individual time trial that could make or break a GC. Actually, this exactly what happened to Alexander Kristoff in 2015. Niki Terpstra put 44 seconds into him and the Dutchman eventually won the overall with a 9 seconds lead over the Norwegian sprinter. Terpstra is absent in 2016 as his team Etixx-QuickStep skips the Tour of Qatar.
Stage 4 is set in the north of the peninsula on a route with a lot of straight and open roads, and possible cross winds. Stage 5 leads into Doha to conclude with ten 5.4 kilometres rounds.
All stages bring two intermediate sprints in which time bonuses of 3, 2 and 1 seconds are to be gained, while the first three riders in all stages (with the exception of the ITT) win 10, 6 and 4 extra seconds.
The dominant wind direction in Qatar northwesterly and hard winds are common. Echelons, sprints and time trialing, that is the Tour of Qatar in a nutshell.
Tour of Qatar 2016: Route, Google Maps and more
Click on the images to zoom
Tour of Qatar Riders
Tour of Qatar Favourites
Watch the highlights of recent races here:
Related articles Kristoff stage 5, Cav overall in Qatar - Tour of Qatar 2016 Kristoff wins stage 4, Cav once again leader - Tour of Qatar 2016 Stage win and overall lead Boasson Hagen - Tour of Qatar 2016 Kristoff outsprints Cav in stage 2 by millimetre - Tour of Qatar 2016 Cav takes stage 1 and leaders jersey - Tour of Qatar 2016 Route stage 1: Dukhan – Al Khor Corniche - Tour of Qatar 2016 Route stage 2: Qatar University – Qatar University - Tour of Qatar 2016 Route stage 3: ITT Lusail - Tour of Qatar 2016 Route stage 4: Al Zubara Fort – Madinat Al Shamal - Tour of Qatar 2016 Route stage 5: Sealine Beach Resort - Doha - Tour of Qatar 2016 More articles Vuelta Femenina 2024 Route stage 5: Huesca - Jaca
Vuelta Femenina 2024: Faulkner wins with late attack, Vos new leader
Vuelta Femenina 2024: The Route
Vuelta Femenina 2024: Riders
Giro 2024: The Route
Giro 2024: Riders
Giro 2024: GC Favourites
Giro 2024 Route stage 1: Turin - Turin
Giro 2024 Favourites stage 1: Hilly race for pink
Giro 2024 Route stage 2: San Fransesco al Campo - Oropa
Giro 2024 Favourites stage 2: The King of Oropa
Giro 2024 Route stage 3: Novara - Fossano
Giro 2024 Favourites stage 3: For fast finishers #1
Giro 2024 Route stage 4: Acqui Terme - Andora
Giro 2024 Favourites stage 4: Mini Milan-San Remo
Giro 2024 Route stage 5: Genoa - Lucca
Giro 2024 Favourites stage 5: For fast finishers #2
Giro 2024 Route stage 6: Viareggio - Rapolano Terme
Giro 2024 Favourites stage 6: Mini Strade Bianche
Giro 2024 Route stage 7: Foligno - Perugia
Giro 2024 Favourites stage 7: For punchy ITT specialists
Giro 2024 Route stage 8: Spoleto - Prati di Tivo
Cycling Calendar 2024
Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes 2024: Brown wins six-up sprint
Tour de France 2024: The Route
Tour de France 2024: Riders
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 1: Florence - Rimini
Vuelta 2024: The Route
Like our Facebook page and stay on top of all pro-race information!
