Renshaw Wins The Tour Of Qatar

Last updated : 23 February 2011 By Kev Monks
Mark Renshaw won the 10th Tour Of Qatar this lunch-time when he finished in the leading bunch on the final stage.

The final 126.5km stage was from Sealine Beach Resort to Doha Corniche. Race leader Mark Renshaw added a few more seconds to his six seconds advantage when he came third in the intermediate sprint, just beating Team Sky's Jeremy Hunt.

BMC Greg Van Avermaet and An Post Sean Kelly's Lithuanian Gediminas Bagdonas, riding a bike built in Liverpool, went clear and were four minutes ahead of the peleton.

Thirty seconds had been knocked off that lead with 35km to go and another fifty five seconds were shread with four laps of the circuit to go.

Leopard Trek and Team Sky including Bradley Wiggins, kept the pace at the front and with six kilometres left, Van Avermaet and Bagdonas' day at the front was all over.

Rabbobank took to the front before Sky got back to the front along with Fabian Cancellera and in a bunch sprint, it was Farnese Vini's Italian Rider Andrea Guardini who took the photo finish from Chicchi and Bos whilst Mark Renshaw who was in the leading pack was left to celebrate his Tour victory.

"The last day was really a question of staying in the pack and making sure I stayed close to Haussler and at the head of the field," Renshaw said afterwards to the HTC Highroad Press Office, "It's great to come here and get the win in Qatar, it's such a hard race and to follow on the win by the women's team makes it even something special."

"It'll lift the team's morale and hopefully we'll be just as successful in the rest of the year as we were last season."

"I've been lucky enough to ride for Australia on the track and in the Olympic Games, but on the road this is the best result I've ever had."

"The last two laps of this stage were a bit of a blur, I was going through riders right and left and just trying to follow Haussler."

"With 500 metres to go I managed to get out of the pack, but with 200 metres to go I knew all I had to do was stay there and win the race."