Team Giant Shimano – Kirsten Wild dominates stage one of the “Ladies Tour of Qatar”

Kirsten Wild (NED) showed off her sprinting prowess by winning the opening stage of the Ladies Tour of Qatar and with it taking the leaders jersey. She also dominated all three intermediate sprints, taking three bonus seconds at each which further increased her lead by the finish. The stage was a rapid one with an average speed of over 48km/h for the first hour of racing. The bunch soon splintered under this pressure and Team Giant-Shimano were represented at the front by both Wild and Amy Pieters (NED). Wild was arguably the fastest sprinter in the women’s peloton last season and she has picked up from where she left off with this impressive display. Coach, Ruud Verhagen (NED) in Qatar, said: “The team rode great today and were rewarded with the perfect result. After 60km the race split into several groups, with Amy and Kirsten up front and the rest of the team in the second group of around 25 riders. “The second group were chasing right up until the last kilometre so the pace at the front stayed high which was perfect for Kirsten. Amy controlled it really well and then Kirsten sprinted perfectly to take the win. We couldn’t have started better.” The team will look to defend this lead now from tomorrow as Wild aims to take her fourth Ladies Tour of Qatar title.

Ufficio Stampa Team Giant Shimano