Boonen sweeps to 4th stage win in Qatar; Terpstra keeps top spot

MESAIEED, Qatar: Belgium’s Tom Boonen, swept along by high winds, claimed the Tour of Qatar’s fourth and penultimate stage on Wednesday by a matter of centimeters from Germany’s Andre Greipel.
The Omega Pharma rider, who also took Monday’s second stage, moved up from fourth to second, 17 seconds adrift, behind his teammate Niki Terpstra in the overall standings with only Thursday’s fifth and final stage remaining.
Boonen annexed the blustery 135 kilometer ride from Dukhan to Mesaeeid in a tight bunched sprint finish, denying Greipel by just five centimeters, with Barry Markus of the Netherlands in third.
The riders were pushed by the strong winds on their backs to produce a super fast average pace of 56.8kph.
The stage finished 35 minutes quicker than forecast, catching among others catering staff in the riders’ village unawares This was the 33-year-old Boonen’s 22nd stage win in Qatar where he’s seeking to add to his previous wins in 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2012.
After a tiring day’s riding the evergreen Belgian commented: “With this wind on your back we were really made to suffer.
“To control the peloton which is going so fast is no easy thing to do.
“Once again we’ll sleep well tonight.” French sprinter Arnaud Demare, who came in seventh, added: “Our legs were sometimes doing 110 turns per minute” Boonen’s performance here this week has proved he is back in form after missing the second half of last season, including the world championships in Florence, with a saddle injury.
“I really like the 2014 Boonen as it takes after the 2012 model (Boonen won four races in 2012),” said Omega Pharma manager Patrick Lefevere.
The race concludes Friday with a 159km ride from Al Zubara Fort to Madinat Al Shamal.

Top cyclist dies

In Cape Town, South Africa, South Africa’s Olympic committee says a top cyclist hoping to compete at the Commonwealth Games has died after crashing at a track meet.
SASCOC says Jeanne Nel, a former national sprint, time trial and Keirin champion, died after the crash at a velodrome in Bellville near Cape Town on Tuesday.
Cycling coach Ricky Kulsen says Nel was “one of the best sprinters South Africa has ever had ... a true champion lost to South African cycling.”
The Olympic committee said on Wednesday that Nel was a member of the South African men’s sprint team attempting to qualify for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland in July and August. It didn’t give any detail on the cause of death.
Cycling South Africa said “we’re shocked at the devastating news.”

Meersman triumphs

In Madrid, Belgian Gianni Meersman claimed the Alcudia Trophy on the final day of the Mallorca challenge on Wednesday.
The Omega Pharma-Quick-Step rider pipped Spaniard Jose Francisco Ventoso and Britain’s Ben Swift in a sprint to the line to win the 162km ride from Muro to Alcudia in a time of three hours 50min 07secs.
It was a second consecutive day that the Belgian team came out on top after Poland’s Michal Kwiatowski won the Serra de Tramuntana Trophy on Tuesday.
Italian Sacha Modolo claimed victory for Lampre Merida on the opening two days of the four-stage event, which consists of four separate races without a general classification.