# 2016 Tour of Qatar

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
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.

## Teams

Eighteen teams were invited to take part in the race. Eight of these were UCI WorldTeams; eight were UCI Professional Continental teams; two were UCI Continental teams. The WorldTeam Etixx–Quick-Step, which had won eight of the previous ten editions, including the 2015 edition with Niki Terpstra, was not invited. Although Wilfried Peeters, a directeur sportif with the team, had suggested that the team had chosen not to take part for sporting reasons, it was suggested in the days before the race that the president of the Qatar Cycling Federation, Sheikh Khalid Bin Ali Al-Thani, had declined to invite the team because riders had failed to attend podium ceremonies promptly after winning stages in previous editions.
UCI WorldTeams
* Team Katusha
* Team Dimension Data
* Team Giant–Alpecin
* BMC Racing Team
* Astana
* LottoNL–Jumbo
* AG2R La Mondiale
* Lampre–Merida
UCI Professional Continental teams
* Bora–Argon 18
* Fortuneo–Vital Concept
* Topsport Vlaanderen–Baloise
* Wanty–Groupe Gobert
* Drapac Professional Cycling
* Roompot–Oranje Peloton
* CCC–Sprandi–Polkowice
* UnitedHealthcare
UCI Continental teams
* Skydive Dubai–Al Ahli
* Stölting Service Group

## Route

Stage schedule :
| Stage | Date | Route | Distance | Type | Winner |
| 1 | 8 February | Dukhan to Al Khor Corniche | 176 km (109 mi) | Flat stage | Mark Cavendish (GBR) |
| 2 | 9 February | Doha to Doha | 135 km (84 mi) | Flat stage | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) |
| 3 | 10 February | Lusail | 11 km (7 mi) | Individual time trial | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) |
| 4 | 11 February | Al Zubara Fort to Madinat ash Shamal | 189 km (117 mi) | Flat stage | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) |
| 5 | 12 February | Sealine Beach Resort to Doha Corniche | 114 km (71 mi) | Flat stage | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) |

## Stages
### Stage 1

8 February – Dukhan to Al Khor Corniche, 176 km (109 mi)
Result of Stage 1 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Mark Cavendish (GBR) | Team Dimension Data | 3h 28' 46" |
| 2 | Sacha Modolo (ITA) | Lampre–Merida | + 0" |
| 3 | Andrea Guardini (ITA) | Astana | + 0" |
| 4 | Sam Bennett (IRL) | Bora–Argon 18 | + 0" |
| 5 | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) | Team Katusha | + 0" |
| 6 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | Team Dimension Data | + 0" |
| 7 | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | BMC Racing Team | + 0" |
| 8 | Manuel Quinziato (ITA) | BMC Racing Team | + 0" |
| 9 | Arnaud Gérard (FRA) | Fortuneo–Vital Concept | + 0" |
| 10 | Søren Kragh Andersen (DEN) | Team Giant–Alpecin | + 0" |
General classification after Stage 1 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Mark Cavendish (GBR) | Team Dimension Data | 3h 28' 31" |
| 2 | Sacha Modolo (ITA) | Lampre–Merida | + 8" |
| 3 | Andrea Guardini (ITA) | Astana | + 11" |
| 4 | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) | Team Katusha | + 12" |
| 5 | Vyacheslav Kuznetsov (RUS) | Team Katusha | + 13" |
| 6 | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | BMC Racing Team | + 14" |
| 7 | Sam Bennett (IRL) | Bora–Argon 18 | + 15" |
| 8 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | Team Dimension Data | + 15" |
| 9 | Manuel Quinziato (ITA) | BMC Racing Team | + 15" |
| 10 | Arnaud Gérard (FRA) | Fortuneo–Vital Concept | + 15" |

### Stage 2

9 February – Doha to Doha, 135 km (84 mi)
Result of Stage 2 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) | Team Katusha | 3h 11' 26" |
| 2 | Mark Cavendish (GBR) | Team Dimension Data | + 0" |
| 3 | Roy Jans (BEL) | Wanty–Groupe Gobert | + 0" |
| 4 | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | BMC Racing Team | + 0" |
| 5 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | Team Dimension Data | + 0" |
| 6 | Andrea Palini (ITA) | Skydive Dubai–Al Ahli | + 0" |
| 7 | Sacha Modolo (ITA) | Lampre–Merida | + 0" |
| 8 | André Looij (NED) | Roompot–Oranje Peloton | + 0" |
| 9 | Tomasz Kiendyś (POL) | CCC–Sprandi–Polkowice | + 0" |
| 10 | Vyacheslav Kuznetsov (RUS) | Team Katusha | + 0" |
General classification after Stage 2 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Mark Cavendish (GBR) | Team Dimension Data | 6h 39' 51" |
| 2 | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) | Team Katusha | + 5" |
| 3 | Sacha Modolo (ITA) | Lampre–Merida | + 14" |
| 4 | Andrea Guardini (ITA) | Astana | + 17" |
| 5 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | Team Dimension Data | + 18" |
| 6 | Vyacheslav Kuznetsov (RUS) | Team Katusha | + 18" |
| 7 | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | BMC Racing Team | + 20" |
| 8 | Arnaud Gérard (FRA) | Fortuneo–Vital Concept | + 21" |
| 9 | Sven Erik Bystrøm (NOR) | Team Katusha | + 21" |
| 10 | Manuel Quinziato (ITA) | BMC Racing Team | + 21" |

### Stage 3

10 February – Lusail, 11 km (7 mi) (ITT)
Result of Stage 3 (ITT) :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | Team Dimension Data | + 13' 26" |
| 2 | Jos van Emden (NED) | LottoNL–Jumbo | + 25" |
| 3 | Manuel Quinziato (ITA) | BMC Racing Team | + 29" |
| 4 | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | BMC Racing Team | + 32" |
| 5 | Dmitriy Gruzdev (KAZ) | Astana | + 40" |
| 6 | Lieuwe Westra (NED) | Astana | + 43" |
| 7 | Mark Cavendish (GBR) | Team Dimension Data | + 44" |
| 8 | Jordan Kerby (AUS) | Drapac | + 44" |
| 9 | Søren Kragh Andersen (DEN) | Team Giant–Alpecin | + 45" |
| 10 | Daniel Oss (ITA) | BMC Racing Team | + 47" |
General classification after Stage 3 (ITT) :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | Team Dimension Data | 6h 53' 35" |
| 2 | Mark Cavendish (GBR) | Team Dimension Data | + 26" |
| 3 | Manuel Quinziato (ITA) | BMC Racing Team | + 32" |
| 4 | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | BMC Racing Team | + 34" |
| 5 | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) | Team Katusha | + 45" |
| 6 | Søren Kragh Andersen (DEN) | Team Giant–Alpecin | + 48" |
| 7 | Sven Erik Bystrøm (NOR) | Team Katusha | + 1' 02" |
| 8 | Sam Bennett (IRL) | Bora–Argon 18 | + 1' 07" |
| 9 | Vyacheslav Kuznetsov (RUS) | Team Katusha | + 1' 10" |
| 10 | Michael Schär (SUI) | BMC Racing Team | + 1' 15" |

### Stage 4

11 February – Al Zubara Fort to Madinat ash Shamal, 189 km (117 mi)
Result of Stage 4 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) | Team Katusha | 3h 57' 12" |
| 2 | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | BMC Racing Team | + 0" |
| 3 | Jacopo Guarnieri (ITA) | Team Katusha | + 0" |
| 4 | Sam Bennett (IRL) | Bora–Argon 18 | + 0" |
| 5 | Mark Cavendish (GBR) | Team Dimension Data | + 0" |
| 6 | Manuel Quinziato (ITA) | BMC Racing Team | + 0" |
| 7 | Vyacheslav Kuznetsov (RUS) | Team Katusha | + 6" |
| 8 | Søren Kragh Andersen (DEN) | Team Giant–Alpecin | + 8" |
| 9 | Moreno Hofland (NED) | LottoNL–Jumbo | + 9" |
| 10 | Michael Mørkøv (DEN) | Team Katusha | + 9" |
General classification after Stage 4 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Mark Cavendish (GBR) | Team Dimension Data | 10h 51' 13" |
| 2 | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | BMC Racing Team | + 2" |
| 3 | Manuel Quinziato (ITA) | BMC Racing Team | + 6" |
| 4 | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) | Team Katusha | + 9" |
| 5 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | Team Dimension Data | + 19" |
| 6 | Søren Kragh Andersen (DEN) | Team Giant–Alpecin | + 30" |
| 7 | Sam Bennett (IRL) | Bora–Argon 18 | + 41" |
| 8 | Sven Erik Bystrøm (NOR) | Team Katusha | + 49" |
| 9 | Vyacheslav Kuznetsov (RUS) | Team Katusha | + 50" |
| 10 | Michael Schär (SUI) | BMC Racing Team | + 58" |

### Stage 5

Result of Stage 5 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) | Team Katusha | 2h 56' 16" |
| 2 | Mark Cavendish (GBR) | Team Dimension Data | + 0" |
| 3 | Roy Jans (BEL) | Wanty–Groupe Gobert | + 0" |
| 4 | Yauheni Hutarovich (BLR) | Fortuneo–Vital Concept | + 0" |
| 5 | Sacha Modolo (ITA) | Lampre–Merida | + 0" |
| 6 | Sam Bennett (IRL) | Bora–Argon 18 | + 0" |
| 7 | Moreno Hofland (NED) | LottoNL–Jumbo | + 0" |
| 8 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | Team Dimension Data | + 0" |
| 9 | André Looij (NED) | Roompot–Oranje Peloton | + 0" |
| 10 | Marco Canola (ITA) | UnitedHealthcare | + 0" |
General classification after Stage 5 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Mark Cavendish (GBR) | Team Dimension Data | 13h 47' 23" |
| 2 | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) | Team Katusha | + 5" |
| 3 | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | BMC Racing Team | + 8" |
| 4 | Manuel Quinziato (ITA) | BMC Racing Team | + 12" |
| 5 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | Team Dimension Data | + 25" |
| 6 | Søren Kragh Andersen (DEN) | Team Giant–Alpecin | + 36" |
| 7 | Sam Bennett (IRL) | Bora–Argon 18 | + 47" |
| 8 | Sven Erik Bystrøm (NOR) | Team Katusha | + 55" |
| 9 | Vyacheslav Kuznetsov (RUS) | Team Katusha | + 56" |
| 10 | Michael Schar (SUI) | BMC Racing Team | + 1' 04" |

## Classification leadership table

| Stage | Winner | General classification | Points classification | Young rider classification | Teams classification |
| 1 | Mark Cavendish | Mark Cavendish | Mark Cavendish | Søren Kragh Andersen | BMC Racing Team |
| 2 | Alexander Kristoff | Mark Cavendish | Mark Cavendish | Sven Erik Bystrøm | Team Katusha |
| 3 | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Mark Cavendish | Søren Kragh Andersen | BMC Racing Team |
| 4 | Alexander Kristoff | Mark Cavendish | Alexander Kristoff | Søren Kragh Andersen | BMC Racing Team |
| 5 | Alexander Kristoff | Mark Cavendish | Alexander Kristoff | Søren Kragh Andersen | BMC Racing Team |
| Final | Final | Mark Cavendish | Alexander Kristoff | Søren Kragh Andersen | BMC Racing Team |