As the old maxim goes, there's no substitute for experience.
Two-time race winner Kirsten Wild has that in abundance. The tall Dutchwoman was outnumbered but not outfoxed on a particularly blustery day, sprinting to victory in the ladies Tour of Qatar opener - despite being in a breakaway with three riders from GreenEdge and Specialized each.
"I knew I was alone, I knew I was maybe the fastest, I knew I'd have to watch and go with everyone," Wild said afterwards. "It worked out. I like it here with the wind and straight roads."
Australian squad GreenEdge were keen to impress on their competitive debut, orchestrating the day's decisive seven-rider split after 10 kilometres, using the initial whopping crosswinds to fracture the bunch.
"What we did was planned - except the finale," Arndt, who sits third overall, told CW after the finish. "We tried to attack, but Wild really paid attention and jumped with every move."
"We had to drop her if you don't have a sprinter, and we didn't manage it. We can't be happy about today, but there's two more days left."
Wild card
The lashing wind made for a brutal re-introduction to racing for the women's peloton. Sand blew across the road, caking riders' face and forcing visibility down to 200 metres on the arrow-straight arteries which abound in Qatar.
As sandstorms turned the horizon white, it was like racing in a hermetically-sealed bubble - and Wild's rivals' chances of success should have been similarly airtight.
"It looks kind of silly, but we were working all day and Kirsten didn't have the teammates so obviously she had a bit of an easier ride," Hosking said. "She's a really good bike rider."
Results
Ladies Tour of Qatar 2012, stage one: Camel Race Track to Al Khor Corniche, 97km
1. Kirsten Wild (Ned) Netherlands in 2-16-50
2. Chloe Hosking (Aus) Specialized-Lululemon
10. Jessie Maclean (Aus) GreenEdge-AIS at same time
Others
General classification after stage one
1. Kirsten Wild (Ned) Netherlands 2-16-36
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