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Marcus Burghardt said his fifth place finish on the final classification at the Tour of Qatar certainly bodes well for the BMC Racing Team and its prospects for the upcoming spring classics.

A Team Effort
Burghardt held onto the position he gained on Stage 2 during Friday’s final stage, a 77-mile (123.5 km) race through the picturesque streets of the seaside city of Al Wakra. The 26-year-old German finished 2:05 behind overall winner Wouter Mol of the Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team. “The whole team did a good job of helping me hang on the past four days,” Burghardt said. “They always made sure I was in the first group and out of the wind in a good position.” Burghardt said the high speeds of the six-day race made for good training for the classics. “To keep a good position, you always had to keep an eye out and always be focused on the race,” he said. “It’s good that we know to stay together the whole race so I think we’re very well prepared for the classics.”

Murphy 10th In Final Stage
Francesco Chicchi (Liquigas-Doimos) won his second stage in a chaotic mass sprint while BMC Racing Team rider John Murphy scored his third straight top 15 finish with 10th on the day. That result, BMC Racing Team Director Sportif John Lelangue said, is sign of things to come for the reigning U.S. national criterium champion. “A top 10 here without a formal lead-out is a good thing for him,” Lelangue said. “John was really fast in the last kilometer and even more in the final 500 meters. He was really strong all week so we’re seeing the future of what he can do.”

Kohler’s Breakaway Seals The Deal
Less than two miles into Friday’s race, a group of four riders – that included BMC Racing Team’s Martin Kohler – escaped the field and eventually gained a 3:30 advantage before being brought back with three miles to go. Kohler is quickly becoming the team’s breakaway specialist, having spent 80 miles in an escape on Stage 4, 60 miles in one at the Santos Tour Down Under last month and another 71 miles in the one today. Lelangue said the breakaway was key to keeping Danilo Napolitano (Team Katusha) from gaining the five seconds he needed to overtake Burghardt on the overall classification. “We wanted to create an early breakway to prevent him (Napolitano) from winning the two bonus sprints. Finishing top five is a lot different than placing sixth when you announce it.”

Tour of Oman Begins Sunday
The BMC Racing Team will board a flight Saturday morning to travel to the Tour of Oman, which begins Sunday night. The six-day race covers 426 miles (687 km) and includes an 11.5-mile (18.6 km) individual time trial on the final stage.

Tour of Qatar finished today with a 123.5 kilometres starting at Al Wakra and arriving at Doha Corniche after 81.5 kilometres, to finish with seven 6 kilometres circuits. A pleasant change: the stiff wind had been replaced by a soft breeze which gave wings to a 4-wheel group to attack at the start. The leader's team controlled them, allowing up to 3'45" on the peloton. In the final circuits, the sprinters' teams accelerated, and they were caught with 3 kilometres to go. The last pack sprint was won by Italian Francesco Chicchi (Liquigas-Doimo) ahead of Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Transitions) and argentine Juan-José Haedo (Saxo Bank). The general classification did not change, the final winner is Dutchman Wouter Mol (Vacansoleil) ahead of Belgians Geert Steurs (Topsport Vlaanderen) and Tom Boonen (Quick.Step). Philippe Gilbert, 7th, is our best classified rider. Results 1. Francesco Chicchi (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo 2. Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Transitions  3. Juan Jose Haedo (Arg) Team Saxo Bank 4. Matt Goss (Aus) HTC-Columbia 5. Jimmy Casper (Fra) Saur-Sojasun 6. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Pro Cycling Team 7. Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step 8. Robert Kluge (Ger) Milram 9. Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Cervélo TestTeam 10. John Murphy (USA) BMC Racing Team ... 13. Kenny Dehaes 25. Sebastian Lang (Ger) 27. Philippe Gilbert 63. Leif Hoste at 42" 76. Staf Scheirlinckx at 1'26" 77. Michiel Elijzen (Ned) 83. Wilfried Cretskens 89. Greg Van Avermaet Final classification 1. Wouter Mol (Ned) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team 2. Geert Steurs (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator at 35?   3. Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step at 1'45? 4. Roger Kluge (Ger) Team Milram at 1'59? 5. Marcus Burghardt (Ger) BMC Racing Team at 2?05? 6. Danilo Napolitano (Ita) Katusha at 2?09? 7. Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Omega Pharma - Lotto at 2?17? 8. Francesco Chicchi (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo at 2?28? 9. Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Cervélo TestTeam at 2?37? 10. Stuart O?Grady (Aus) Team Saxo Bank at 2?40? ? 21. Sebastian Lang (Ger) at 3?56? 60. Michiel Elijzen (Ned) at 12'29" 72. Greg Van Avermaet at 14?09? 80. Leif Hoste at 14?52? 90. Wilfried Cretskens at 15?34? 97. Staf Scheirlinckx at 16?51? 110. Kenny Dehaes at 18?31? Points 7. Kenny Dehaes Teams 9. Omega Pharma - Lotto

The sixth and final stage of the Tour of Qatar was won today by Francesco Chicchi (Liquigas). Chicchi winning his second stage was again the fastest in the mass sprint, ahead of Tyler Farar...

Liquigas rider Francesco Chicchi produced a stunning finish to land the spoils in the sixth and final stage of the Tour of Qatar.

Danilo Napolitano finished today 12th at 6th stage of Tour of Qatar in Doha. The stage won Francesco Chicchi from "Liquigas". In general classification Napolitano took place six with 2.09 behind of Wouter Mol from "Vacansoleil". Nikolay Trusov, pla...

Director’s report from Johnny Weltz:

It was a nervous start today due to another cross/tailwind. After 23 km a group of three riders got off the front — we had Svein Tuft in it. A couple of kilometers later another three riders joined the group so six riders were off the front. They gained up to 2:30 minutes, then the field start to chase. They caught the break with Svein as the last rider to survive with only 28 km to go.

Just then it went into a crosswind section. First the field split into three, then into five groups with 13 riders up front including the yellow jersey and Tyler Farrar — but not Boonen and Haussler. So with 15 km to go the two front groups had a split of 20 seconds. It came down very slowly and at 1 km to go the two groups merged, as there was not much organization in the front group.

“That’s bike racing,” Farrar told Cyclingnews. “You have to gamble if you want to win. Unfortunately today it didn’t work out,” Farrar said as he rode back to the Garmin team car ready for the long drive back to the race
hotel.

“It was a pity because I was pretty happy with my odds in that front group. But when the field caught up, I was already dead.”

“At least I didn’t have any mishaps today. I gambled but it didn’t pay off,” he said. “But it’s a good sign of my form. Today there were a few opportunities to try things and to get some good training done. That’s what you have to do if you want get in better condition for later on.”

Cervélo TestTeam riders Theo Bos in fourth and Heinrich Haussler in eighth, once again finished in the top ten in today's fifth stage of the Tour of Qatar. The 142 kilometre stage from...

Fifth and last but one stage at Tour of Qatar, 142 km between Lusail and Madinat Al Shamal. The stage, which began with a following, was animated by a six-rider group. They had up to 2'30" on the peloton, but they were caught 30 kilometres short of the end. The wind turned then to the side, and the peloton exploded into three packs, a 14-man group was then leading, with no Omega Pharma - Lotto with them. They nearly made it, but the followers caught them in the last kilometre, and Belgian champion Tom Boonen (Quick.Step) took his second win ahead of Danilo Napolitano (Team Katusha) and Edvald Boasson Haägen (Team Sky). Our team had three men in this group, Philippe Gilbert, Michiel Elijzen and Sebastian Lang, all the other finishing with the second pack. Wouter Mol keeps the leader's jersey, and Philippe is still in 7th position. Results 1. Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step 2. Danilo Napolitano (Ita) Katusha 3. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Team Sky 4. Theo Bos (Ned) Cervélo TestTeam 5. Juan José Haedo (Arg) Saxo Bank 6. Peter Wrolich (Ger) Team Milram 7. Francesco Chicchi (Ita) Liquigas 8. Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Cervélo TestTeam 9. Bernhard Eisel (Aus) HTC-Columbia 10. Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Transitions ... 16. Philippe Gilbert 32. Sebastian Lang (Ger) 48. Michiel Elijzen (Ned) 65. Greg Van Avermaet at 2'10" 67. Wilfried Cretskens 70. Staf Scheirlinckx 107. Kenny Dehaes 109. Leif Hoste

Edvald Boasson Hagen narrowly failed to overhaul Tom Boonen in a flying finish to the fifth stage of the Tour of Qatar.

HTC-Columbia will be heading for one of the newest races on the international calendar this weekend, when the squad lines up for the first ever Tour of Oman in the Middle East.
Running from February 14th - 19th and coming straight after the nearby Tour of Qatar, where HTC-Columbia is also racing, Oman consists of five road stages and a final 18 kilometre individual time-trial.

"The time-trial being on the last stage will shape events a lot. The teams, like us, with time trial specialists will try to control  the race so they get to that last day in a good position," says HTC-Columbia's Bernhard Eisel, taking part both in Qatar and Oman.

"It's probably not going to be such a nervous race as Qatar, although it's hillier too, so it won't be straightforward.

"Normally at this point in the season I get in a stage win at the Tour of the Algarve [in Portugal] and hopefully history will repeat itself in Oman!"

"We're bringing in Marco Pinotti especially for Oman because he'll be good for that time trial," adds HTC-Columbia sports director Valerio Piva. "Then we've got Bernhard and Leigh Howard, who are both fast riders, for the sprints too.

"We'll try to protect Marco so he doesn't lose any time in the first five days. He hasn't done Qatar like some of the other time-triallists who'll be taking part, so he should be fresher. We're definitely feeling optimistic about his chances."

HTC-Columbia for Tour of Oman: Lars Bak (Den); Gert Dockx (Bel);  Bernhard Eisel (Aut); Adam Hansen (Aus); Leigh Howard (Aus);  Marco Pinotti (Ita); Martin Velits (Svk).