Bradley Wiggins confirmed for Qatar, as full list of teams revealed
Tour of Qatar will see the world time trial champion ride in his rainbow skinsuit for the first time
Sir Bradley Wiggins will start his final season with Team Sky at the 2015 Tour of Qatar, which is scheduled for February 8 to 13. Organising body ASO confirmed his participation along with the full line-up of the teams on Tuesday.
ASO were pleased with prospective line-up, describing it as a "very attractive startlist...that features world champions, sprint specialists, kings of the classics and a Tour de France winner."
Wiggins, who was intially touted as beginning his season at the Challenge Mallorca this week, will race with Sky's eight-man team and rivals such as Tom Boonen (Etixx - Quick-Step), Marcel Kittel (Giant-Alpecin), Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo), Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing), Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing) and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar).
The Tour of Qatar is in its 14th year and kicks off a season of ASO races, which includes the Tour de France.
Wiggins led Sky to its first ever team time trial win in the 2010 Tour of Qatar and this year, he'll have a chance to debut his world champion’s rainbow jersey on stage three, a 10.9-kilometre time trial in Lusail.
The 2012 Tour de France winner is using the race as he builds towards Paris-Roubaix and the Hour Record later this year. Boonen, Sagan and Cancellara will also be tuning their form towards the cobbled classics, while 2012 road world champion Philippe Gilbert will be looking ahead to the one day races in the Ardennes.
"[It's] an important part of the lead up to the season," Gilbert said.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"Stages are short and nervous, which is ideal at this time of the year. The high speed and the permanent battle force us to fight for positioning the same way we do it at the classics. We love the weather in Qatar and we appreciate staying in the same hotel in Doha during the whole race."
Sky has yet to confirm its full squad, but Wiggins is expected to race with Ian Stannard, Chris Sutton, Luke Rowe, Danny Pate, Christian Knees, Bernhard Eisel and Andrew Fenn. He's then due to continue his season at the Belgian semi-classic, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad which is viewed as a tune-up for the cobbled classics in March and April.
German Marcel Kittel tops a group of sprinters travelling to the Middle East, and the Tour of Qatar will mark his second race since beginning in Australia last week with the Tour Down Under, where he won the pre-race People's Choice Classic criterium.
"I came out of this race with better feelings than one year ago," said Kittel, "and I'm looking forward to the Tour of Qatar where I expect a very high level of sprinting."
Mark Cavendish (Etixx-Quick Step), however, will race the Dubai Tour instead, having started his season at the Tour de San Luis in January. Kittel will come up against stiff opposition though, with sprinters Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis), Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) and Sagan all set to attend.
Teams for the Tour of Qatar:
Astana, Bardiani CSF, BMC, Bora-Argon 18, Cofidis, Etixx-Quick Step, FDJ, Giant-Alpecin, IAM Cycling, Katusha, Lampre-Merida, Movistar, MTN-Qhubeka, Orica GreenEdge, Team Sky, Tinkoff-Saxo, Topsport Vlaanderen Baloise, Trek Factory Racing.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
-
'I've never seen the cobbles as bad as this' - Inside one team's Paris-Roubaix recon
Tom Davidson joins British Continental team Lifeplus-Wahoo as they prepare for the most feared race of the season
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Tweets of the week: Marianne Vos is still boss, Lorena Wiebes raves, and Geraint Thomas issues a warning
While some riders hope to manage one win in their career, Marianne Vos has 250
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Bradley Wiggins says he suffered ‘borderline rape’ during three years of 'abuse' by coach
Speaking on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, Wiggins says he now “hates cycling” and only ever used the sport as a distraction
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Bradley Wiggins might not be a TV pundit for much longer: 'I just want a normal job really'
Tour de France champion says that he doesn't still want to be on Eurosport in 10 years, and he thought about being a social worker
By Adam Becket Published
-
CW Live: Chris Froome targets return to 'top level'; UCI tightens ITT rules; Strava responds to price hike criticism; Topless protesters arrested at TDU; Tributes paid to Lieuwe Westra; Scott recalls 'cracking' bikes; Toon Aerts the PE teacher
The latest news in the world of cycling
By Tom Davidson Last updated
-
Bradley Wiggins: Abuse contributed to making me a great cyclist
The Tour de France winner is part of a new NSPCC campaign to help people spot the signs of child abuse
By Adam Becket Published
-
Is Bradley Wiggins Rubbish on ITV's The Masked Singer? We investigate
The wheely bin character was tipped to be the Olympian by one of the judges on the Saturday night TV show
By Adam Becket Published
-
Bradley Wiggins backs NSPCC campaign for safer sports environments for children
Former Tour de France champion has spoken about abuse he received from a coach before
By Adam Becket Published
-
British Cycling offers Bradley Wiggins 'full support' after allegations of sexual grooming
The governing body has contacted Wiggins after he alleged he was sexually groomed as a 13-year-old
By Ryan Dabbs Published
-
Bradley Wiggins alleges that he was sexually groomed by a coach as a 13-year-old
Former Tour de France winner says that it "impacted" him as an adult after he "buried" it
By Adam Becket Last updated