Tornado Tom Touches Down, Again – 2010 Tour of Qatar Stage 5
With the Arab emirate of Qatar jutting out into the Persian Gulf like a small appendage of Saudi Arabia, the probability of winds effecting riders and therefore the outcome of the race is relatively high. Throw in a tornado, and well…the outcome becomes all but a certainty.
For the 17th time in his career, "Tornado" Tom Boonen (Quick Step) would touch down on the roads of Qatar, leaving a 142km trail of debris from Lusail to Madinat Al Shamal on today’s Stage 5. Danilo Napolitano (Team Katusha) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) were the most immediate bystanders of the destruction, finishing second and third, respectively.
Although Wouter Mol’s (Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team) lead in the General Classification is relatively insurmountable at his juncture of the race, Boonen’s utter dominance of the Tour of Qatar cannot be overstated.
Since he began using the Tour of Qatar as his season’s opener, he has won approximately 45% (17 of 38) of the stages he has entered. Add the two Team Time Trial victories in which he participated, then he has won exactly half of all the stages since 2004.
In nature, tornadoes are difficult to forecast accurately — even when certain weather conditions present themselves — in cycling, especially in Qatar, its as simple as looking for a certain Belgian at the start line.
Stage 5 Results
1. Tom Boonen (Quick Step)
2. Danilo Napolitano (Team Katusha)
3. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky)
General Classification After Stage 5
1. Wouter Mol (Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team)
2. Geert Steurs (Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator)
3. Tom Boonen (Quick Step)
4. Roger Kluge (Team Milram)
5. Marcus Burghardt ( BMC Racing Team)
6. Danilo Napolitano (Team Katusha)
7. Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma - Lotto)
8. Heinrich Haussler (Cervélo TestTeam)
9. Francesco Chicchi (Liquigas-Doimo)
10. Stuart O’Grady (Team Saxo Bank)
Next: Stage 6 - Al Wakra to Doha Corniche (123.5 km)
Photo: KARIM JAAFAR/AFP/Getty Images
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