2016 Tour of Qatar

2016 Tour of Qatar

UCI Asia Tour
Race details
Dates	February 8, 2016 (2016-02-08)–February 12, 2016 (2016-02-12)
Stages	5
Distance	625 km (388.4 mi)
Winning time	13h 47' 23"
Results
Winner  Mark Cavendish (GBR) (Team Dimension Data)   Second  Alexander Kristoff (NOR) (Team Katusha)   Third  Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) (BMC Racing Team) Points  Alexander Kristoff (NOR) (Team Katusha) Youth  Søren Kragh Andersen (DEN) (Team Giant–Alpecin)   Team BMC Racing Team
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The 2016 Tour of Qatar was a road cycling stage race that took place in Qatar between 8 and 12 February 2016. It was organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the organisers of the Tour de France and was rated as a 2.HC event as part of the 2016 UCI Asia Tour. It was the 15th edition of the Tour of Qatar^[1]

The race consisted of five stages. It began in Dukhan and ended in Doha. The Tour of Qatar puts unusual demands on riders: it has no significant climbs, but almost every stage is affected by strong crosswinds. These conditions make the race ideal preparation for the spring classics season, so many prominent classics riders were present. The champion of the 2015 Tour of Qatar was Niki Terpstra (Etixx–Quick-Step), but his team was not invited to the event for disciplinary reasons.

The race was won by Mark Cavendish (Team Dimension Data). This was his second victory, following the 2013 edition. He won Stage 1 and finished second on the second and fifth stages. Alexander Kristoff (Team Katusha) won three other stages, with Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Dimension Data) winning the time trial but losing time to a puncture on the fourth stage.