Ladies Tour of Qatar

The Middle Eastern race was recently upgraded to WorldTour status and its cancellation comes as a surprise.

German Trixi Worrack and her Canyon-SRAM team are off to a good start with a win at Ladies Tour of Qatar.

Ellen van Dijk solos away from a large breakaway to win stage 3 of Ladies Tour of Qatar; Trixi Worrack assumes GC lead.

Australian Katrin Garfoot wins day two of the Ladies Tour of Qatar as Kirsten Wild suffers bad luck and loses time.

Kirsten Wild sprints to her 10th career stage win at the Ladies Tour of Qatar in Doha.

Emma Johansson has used Shimano for 10 years and continues to use it as a member of Wiggle High5, which is sponsored by Campagnolo.

The Ladies Tour of Qatar names its 2016 teams, and the Cervelo-Bigla team is a surprising omission.

Shelley Olds finds new motivation for 2015 after successful Ladies Tour of Qatar with team Bigla

Another windy day in Doha serves up a sprint finish that's won by Armitstead, whose two consecutive victories confirm her GC title

Armitstead becomes first Briton to win the Ladies Tour of Qatar, but she's quick to credit her Dutch team's support and experience

Britain's Lizzie Armitstead is coming into the 2015 season with red-hot form and lofty ambitions to win some of cycling's biggest races

Armitstead notches her first win of the season in a bunch sprint, and thanks to time bonuses, she's at the top of the GC standings in Qatar

The American squad is down two riders, one to an illness and another to injuries suffered in a crash

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Windy weather leads to a day of aggressive racing in Qatar, and Dutchwoman Van Dijk takes advantage of her experience to seize the lead

Ellen Van Dijk seizes the overall lead at Ladies Tour of Qatar with a solo victory after attacking in the final kilometer of racing

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Two-time world champion Giorgia Bronzini sounds off on the season ahead and the state of women's cycling after day one in Qatar

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American Shelley Olds is aiming for GC success at the Ladies Tour of Qatar after finishing fifth on stage 1

Alé-Cipollini's Cucinotta wins a bunch sprint on the first day of the Qatar race, claiming the overall lead

Qatar hopes its expanding sports programs and events, such as the Ladies Tour of Qatar, will give it a shot at the Olympics

The Ladies Tour of Qatar starts Tuesday in the country's capital city of Doha

The Ladies Tour of Qatar holds its seventh edition this February, with former and current world champions vying for victory in the desert

Dutchwoman snags a third stage in four days and her fourth overall title

Dutchwoman takes the jersey with a second stage win in three days

Giant-Shimano rider assumes the overall lead from teammate Kirsten Wild after late attack

Dutchwoman returns to her winning ways in Qatar

Women's racing is off to a good start for 2013, but athletes and directors say there's more to be done

1. Kirsten WILD, ARGOS-SHIMANO, in 2:09:38 2. Lucinda BRAND, RABO WOMEN, at 0 3. Marta TAGLIAFERRO, MCIPOLLINI GIORDANA, at 0 4. Giorgia BRONZINI, WIGGLE HONDA, at 0 5. Simona FRAPPORTI, BEPINK, at 0

Wild won the inaugural race in 2009 and defended her title in 2010. En route to her third crown she has won six stages

Bronzini hopes to bring both experience and her "Italian style" to the new British squad

1. Kirsten WILD, ARGOS-SHIMANO, in 2:28:15 2. Eleonora VAN DIJK, SPECIALIZED-LULULEMON, at 0 3. Giorgia BRONZINI, WIGGLE HONDA, at :2 4. Marta TAGLIAFERRO, MCIPOLLINI GIORDANA, at :2 5. Shelley OLDS, TIBCO-TO THE TOP, at :4

WIld confident Argos-Shimano can deliver her to a third overall victory

1. Kirsten WILD, ARGOS-SHIMANO, in 2:38:54 2. Trixi WORRACK, SPECIALIZED-LULULEMON, at 0 3. Eleonora VAN DIJK, SPECIALIZED-LULULEMON, at 0 4. Chloe HOSKING, HITEC PRODUCTS UCK, at 0 5. Emma JOHANSSON, ORICA-AIS, at 0

Olds, Small, and Barensfeld debut new team colors in Doha this week

Two-time Qatar champ wins second stage

1. Chloe HOSKING, HITEC PRODUCTS UCK, in 2:23:51 2. Gracie ELVIN, ORICA-AIS, at 0 3. Lisa BRENNAUER, SPECIALIZED-LULULEMON, at 0 4. Liesbet DE VOCHT, RABO WOMEN, at 0 5. Marta TAGLIAFERRO, MCIPOLLINI GIORDANA, at :10

Like many top-level female racers, Chloe Hosking is working her way through school in the saddle

Hosking wins from breakaway to don the first leader's jersey of the race

Riders fought the wind in the final stage of the Ladies Tour of Qatar

1. Kirsten WILD , (NED) Ned, in 2:38:36 2. Eleonora VAN DIJK , (NED) Slu, +0 3. Adrie VISSER , (NED) Ski, +0

1. Judith ARNDT , (GER) Gew, in 8:00:44 2. Trixi WORRACK , (GER) Slu, +6 3. Kirsten WILD , (NED) Ned, +2:06

Arndt goes into the third stage with a two-second lead over Worrack

1. Trixi WORRACK , (GER) Slu, in 3:05:37 2. Judith ARNDT , (GER) Gew, +0 3. Adrie VISSER , (NED) Ski, +2:20

Wind Brings out Wild

1. Kirsten WILD , (NED) Ned, in 2:16:50 2. Chloe HOSKING , (AUS) Slu, + 0 3. Eleonora VAN DIJK , (NED) Slu, + 0

HTC-Highroad hit a milestone with victory at the 2011 Ladies Tour of Qatar, which marked the team’s 400th victory since 2008.

Stage 3

• 1. Monia Baccaille, Sc Mcipollini Giordana, 2:25:22
• 2. Giorgia Bronzini, Italy, s.t.
• 3. Rochelle Gilmore, Lotto Honda Team, s.t.
• 4. Ellen Van Dijk, HTC-Highroad Women, s.t.
• 5. Aurore Verhoeven, Gauss, s.t.

Final overall

• 1. Ellen Van Dijk, HTC-Highroad Women, at 7:51:04
• 2. Charlotte Becker, HTC-Highroad Women, at 0:15
• 3. Iris Slappendel, Garmin-Cervelo, at 0:20
• 4. Adriana Visser, HTC-Highroad Women, at 0:24
• 5. Alexis Rhodes, Garmin-Cervelo, at 0:26

Ellen Van Dijk won the Ladies Tour of Qatar on Friday as HTC-Highroad put four riders into the top 10 overall, two of them on the podium.

Ellen Van Dijk takes the sprint from a small breakaway group and moves into the overall lead in Qatar.

Stage 2

• 1. Ellen Van Dijk, HTC-HighRoad, at 3:06:51
• 2. Alexis Rhodes, Garmin-Cervélo, at 0:00
• 3. Adriana Visser, HTC-HighRoad, at 0:00
• 4. Charlotte Becker, HTC-HighRoad, at 0:00
• 5. Loes Gunnewijk, Nederland Bloeit, at 0:00

Overall standings

• 1. Ellen Van Dijk, HTC-HighRoad, at 5:25:42
• 2. Charlotte Becker, HTC-HighRoad, at 0:15
• 3. Iris Slappendel, Garmin-Cervélo, at 0:21
• 4. Adriana Visser, HTC-HighRoad, at 0:24
• 5. Alexis Rhodes, Garmin-Cervélo, at 0:26

• 1. Rochelle Gilmore, Lotto Honda Team, in 2:19:07
• 2. Giorgia Bronzini, Italy, at s.t.
• 3. Chloe Hosking, HTC HighRoad Women, at s.t.
• 4. Ellen Van Dijk, HTC HighRoad Women, at s.t.
• 5. Lucy Martin, Garmin-Cervelo, at s.t.

After her teammates spent much of the day chasing down breaks and keeping her in position, Cervélo TestTeam’s Kirsten Wild won the stage 3 sprint finish and thereby the overall title at the second Ladies Tour of Qatar.

Italy's Giorgia Bronzini improved on her second place in stage 1 by winning the second stage and taking the overall lead of the Ladies Tour of Qatar on Thursday.

Lithuania’s Raissa Lelivyte won the opening stage of the second annual Ladies Tour of Qatar on Wednesday. The 20-year-old with the Italian Safi-Pasta Zara Manhattan team out sprinted a 30-woman pack at the end of the 104km stage from the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha to Al Khor Corniche.

The Ladies Tour of Qatar

Results from the 2010 Ladies Tour of Qatar

Two days after the end of the men's Tour of Qatar, the first women's event began with a 94-kilometer stage that started at the Islamic Art Museum in Doha and finished at Doha Shafallah. Italian national team member Giorgia Bronzini won by outsprinting Dutch riders Kirsten Wild and Ellen Van Dijk. The silver points’ jersey went to Wild while Van Dijk becomes the best young rider of the event. [nid:87443]