Niki Terpstra Captures Tour of Qatar

AFP / Yuzuru Sunada

Dutch rider Niki Terpstra of the Omega Pharma team clinched overall victory in the Tour of Qatar on Friday as Frenchman Arnaud Demare won the concluding stage. Demare, of the FDJ team, secured the sixth and final stage at Doha Corniche in a sprint finish after a 113.5-kilometer ride from Sealine Beach Resort. Terpstra, who had been out in front since winning the opening stage, finished ahead of his team-mate Tom Boonen, the Belgian who fell just short of winning the event for the fifth time. Boonen claimed wins on the second and fourth stage in Qatar.
On the podium, a smiling Terpstra praised Boonen and predicted their Omega Pharma team were set for a good season.

“The great Tom is back,” said Terpstra, a former Tour of the Netherlands champion back in 2012. “Today it is me who won, but in the next few weeks we will make every effort to be in the best condition for the Tour of Flanders and the Paris-Roubaix,” added Terpstra.

Tour of Qatar Stage 6
1. Arnaud Demare (Fra/FDJ.fr) 2:45:06
2. Daniele Bennati (Ita/Tinkoff-Saxo) @ s.t.
3. Bernhard Eisel (Aut/Sky)
4. Tom Boonen (Bel/Omega Pharma – Quick-Step)
5. Lucas Sebastian Haedo/Arg) Skydive Dubai)
6. Silvan Dillier (Swi/BMC)
7. Andrea Guardini (Ita/Astana)
8. Sam Bennett (Irl/Netapp – Endura)
9. Sebastian Lander (Den/BMC)
10. Nicola Ruffoni (Ita/Bardiani CSF)

Final General Classification
1. Niki Terpstra (Ned/Omega Pharma – Quick-Step) 15:53:37
2. Tom Boonen (Bel/Omega Pharma – Quick-Step) @ :17
3. Jurgen Roelandts (Bel/Lotto Belisol) @ :20
4. Ian Stannard (GBr/Sky) @ :37
5. Michael Morkov (Den/Tinkoff-Saxo) @ :48
6. Marcel Sieberg (Ger/Lotto Belisol) @ :56
7. Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Bel/Omega Pharma – Quick-Step) @ :57
8. Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel/Omega Pharma – Quick-Step) @ 1:05
9. Andrew Fenn (GBr/Omega Pharma – Quick-Step) @ 1:18
10. André Greipel (Ger/Lotto Belisol) 1:23