In the absence of crosswinds, attacks and echelons but a strong head wind for much of the stage, the sprinters dominated the fourth stage of the Tour of Qatar with Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) taking his second stage win at this year's race with a perfectly timed surge to the line.
Kristoff beat Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo) and Nikias Arndt (Giant-Alpecin), with Adam Blythe (Astana) fourth and Heinrich Haussler (IAM Cycling) sixth, with the other sprinters filling out the top 10 after a hectic finale.
Kristoff got a late but well-timed leadout from his Katusha teammates and started his sprint early on the long finishing straight. That gave him the advantage of choosing the best line, while his rivals fought in his slipstream. Sagan stayed tucked on his wheel until making a late surge but he was a wheel length behind and is still looking for his first win in Tinkoff-Saxo colours.
“In the last 10 kilometres everyone was fresh and I ended up losing my leadout many times but in the end they managed to put me in a good position and I was just able to hold them off,” Kristoff said recalling every instant of the sprint.
“Maybe I went a little bit early but I felt like I had to go otherwise someone would jump from behind, so I started easy and then went harder. At the end I was so tired and Sagan was coming fast but I was just able to hold him off. I could see him on the left and I wasn’t sure that I won it.”
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