Dutch rider Niki Terpstra of the Etixx team retained the leader’s gold jersey of the Tour of Qatar after Wednesday’s fourth stage was won by Norwegian Alexander Kristoff, the Katusha cyclist’s second success.
Kristoff triumphed after a bunched sprint finish at the end of the 165km stage between Al Thakira and Mesaieed, finishing ahead of Slovak Peter Sagan and German Nikias Arndt.
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In the overall standings, Terpstra now enjoys a six-second advance on Poland’s Maciej Bodnar, with Briton Ian Stannard 12sec adrift.
With his second success in just three days, the Norwegian, 27, asserts himself as one of the men to follow early in the season.
2. win for me and @katushacycling. Happy with the effort my teammates did! bringing me to the front in this caotic final!
— Alexander Kristoff (@Kristoff87) February 11, 2015
“It’s my best start of a season. I didn’t expect to be that good. I feel good, I feel confident. I have never felt so strong in Qatar before. It’s a great feeling”, said Kristoff.
His Wednesday sprint win turned out be easier than Monday’s, which came after a high-tempo and windy stage.
“Maybe I started a bit early but I felt I had to go otherwise I would have come in from behind. In the end, Sagan was fast. I saw him on my left and I wasn’t too sure I had won. It was a tight one”, Kristoff explained.
Thursday’s fifth stage sees the riders tackle 153km from Al Zubarah Fort to Madinat Al Shamal.
