Last year, stage 1 left from Dukhan also, but the finish was in Sealine Beach, while stage 2 did finish in Al Khor. The first stage was José Joaquin Rojas and Alexander Kristoff was fastest in Al Khor.
Stage 1 of the 2016 Tour of Qatar mainly heads to the northeast of the peninsula. The dominant wind direction in Qatar is northewesterly, so riders can expect crosswinds. Especially the section follwing the feeding zone to the first intermediate sprint (see underneath map) could turn out to be interesting.
Both intermediate sprints – bringing times bonuses of 3, 2 and 1 second – are in the second half of th route. Actually, the last intermediate sprint is not too far from the finish line, so chances are the break of the day is already reeled in and overall contenders will sprint for the seconds. At the finish line mor presents are to be gathered, this time 10, 6 and 4 seconds.
Race results/race report stage 1, 2016 Tour of Qatar.
Tour of Qatar 2016 stage 1: Route maps, and more
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