The choice of the event with which to debut the racing season is the object of careful, rational and strategic consideration for professional cyclists. Yet ritual and tradition have an important place in their heart, events that mould their spirits and forge their development, gain their unquestioning allegiance. Combine these two elements, and, this year Qatar emerges as the favourite starting date among the trophy winners, the sprinters who will certainly put on a stunning performance at the Grand Tours, and at the most prestigious classic races throughout the year.
The undisputed master of the terrain, with 15 stages under his belt, Tom Boonen, certainly remembers that his triumphal year of 2005, (in which he won the Tour of Flanders,
Paris-Roubaix, the green jersey at the Tour de France, and the world Championship!) was inaugurated with two victorious sprints at Qatar. Similarly, less than a year ago, Mark Cavendish, after experiencing the routes of the peninsula, went on to give brilliant performances at Milan-San Remo, and later at the Tour de France.
For the 2010 race, they will not be alone in aiming for the podium: Tyler Farrar, Gerald Ciolek, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Heinrich Haussler and even Jimmy Casper will be there to make sure the Qatar magic will rub off on them too. Their presence will guarantee nail-biting excitement throughout the ninth edition of the race.
This competition which has asserted itself as a must for many competitive cyclists, will this year be seasoned with the spice of novelty. The race will take off with the team time-trials at West Bay Lagoon, while Duhkam, to the west of the country, and The Pearl will become, for the first time, the strategic locations for the start of a stage.
The 2010 competition will testify to the richness, and the continued ascendancy of the Tour of Qatar in the professional cycling calendar.
Christian PRUDHOMME
Director of the Tour de France