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Quick Step nails Qatar TTT

By Agence France Presse
Published: Jan. 28, 2007

Belgium’s Quick Step-Innergetic team shrugged off this week's doping allegations to take top honors in the opening stage of the Tour of Qatar, a team time trial in Doha on Sunday.

Dutchman Steven De Jongh crossed the line first after the six kilometer race against the clock to be the first to take charge of the leader's gold jersey.

Quick Step, with former world champion Tom Boonen riding in Qatar, covered the circuit in a time of six minutes 33 seconds. Quick Step was followed in by Milram, four seconds adrift, with Liguigas another four seconds back in third.

"It was very tough," said Boonen, third in the overall standings. "It's not easy for a team to manage such a course over a small distance. You have to get off very quickly, don't slow down and stay very organised.We were tough today."

The Quick Step riders actually made a small mistake with 1km to go when the team briefly split up but they got away with it, regrouping in time to storm to the finish line.

Boonen was hoping to let Davide Vigano, whose father died last week, cross the line first to take the gold jersey but the young Italian didn't have any strength left to carry himself to the head of the team.

"It's a shame but the team won and in the end, that's what matters," added Boonen.

It has been a difficult week for Quick Step whose general manager Patrick Lefevere was accused of doping violations by a Belgian newspaper. Monday's second stage covers 135 flat kilometers between Al-Wakra and Doha.

Results
1. Quick Step, 6km in 6:33(54.962kph)
2. Milram, at 0:05
3. Liquigas, at 0:07
4. Predictor-Lotto, at 0:09
5. T-Mobile, at 0:11
6. Ag2r Prevoyance, at 0:11
7. Astana, at 0:13
8. Rabobank, at 0:14
9. Saunier Duval, at 0:14
10. Bouygues Telecom, at 0:16Overall Standings
1. Steven De Jongh (Nl), Quick Step, 6:33
2. Wilfried Cretskens (B), Quick Step, s.t
3. Tom Boonen (B), Quick Step, s.t
4. Gert Steegmans (B), Quick Step, s.t
5. Matteo Tosatto (I), Quick Step, s.t
6. Alessandro Petacchi (I), Milram, at 0:05
7. Marco Velo (I), Milram, at 0:05
8. Alessandro Cortinovis (I), Milram, at 0:05
9. Fabio Sacchi (I), Milram, at 0:05
10. Marcel Sieberg (G), Milram, at 0:05.