Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team worked hard once again, guiding sprinter Mark Cavendish over the climbs of the 254km Stage 13 of Giro d'Italia — longest stage of the grand tour — on Friday, and chasing down breakaways in the final kilometers to give him a chance for a fourth victory.

As a solo rider was caught with 1.6km to go, Orica-GreenEDGE and Cannondale took over the front in hopes of a stage win. However, Cavendish bided his time in the red jersey, going into the final kilometer inside the top 15 positions and launching his sprint from 300m out in 7th position on the right side of the group. He bested Giacomo Nizzolo (Radioshack-Leopard) and Luka Mezgec (Argos-Shimano) for his 101st career victory.

Cavendish now has 16 Giro d'Italia victories in his career, and this is the 28th win for OPQS, in three disciplines, in 2013.

Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team was left to do much of the work in the peloton, despite torrential rain in the 134km flat Giro d'Italia Stage 12 on Thursday. All of the team was on the front protecting and pulling for sprinter Mark Cavendish, in hopes of delivering him to the line for his 100th career victory, the third of the Giro d'Italia, and the 27th for OPQS cycling team — in three disciplines — in 2013.

The catch was not easy, however. OPQS went full gas and managed to pull back a five-rider breakaway inside the final few hundred meters, despite there being a minute gap for the escape group with 10km to go in the stage. Gert Steegmans was the final man for Cav and delivered him perfectly for the sprint.

Cavendish beat Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ) and Luka Mezgec (Argos-Shimano) for the win.

"It was incredible," Cavendish said. "We left it until right at the end. The break had a minute with 10km to go. That's hard to pull back on a circuit in the rain. Cannondale came to the front but it was more left to my men. Young Julien Vermote pulled and pulled until his legs couldn't come around anymore. Matteo Trentin normally would come to the front with about 1km to go, but with 2.5km to go he took over and just rode and rode. It wasn't easy as we were close to not catching the break. Gert Steegmans could have gone and left me in 'no man's land,' but he waited and waited. I was actually stressing a bit to be honest. But I'm so happy, my 100th win and what a way to do it with the guys. I'm so proud."

The sprint was a lot more complicated than it looked, due to catching the break late, but also the wind.

"I knew the wind was coming from the left, but knew we had to start the sprint from the left because we caught the break," Cavendish said. "So I just had to drift right to hopefully get the guys coming in the wind on the left. I was happy because I didn't sense anybody at all. I didn't want to celebrate though, because of the conditions. So, I just lifted one hand."

The entire team worked for the entire stage, playing different roles that helped ensure the bunch sprint and the chance for Cavendish to get the victory once again.

"I'm happy that I could do it here at the Giro d'Italia, but more than the fact I've won here, I'm proud of how we did it," Cavendish said. "We came here with the intentions of trying to win every sprint. We haven't just won every sprint, we've won it quite convincingly. We controlled the peloton from start to finish today, in quite horrid conditions actually. The real experienced guys like Gert or Vermote, they just rode out of their skins. The guys went longer than what I thought was possible. From Brambilla and Serge riding on the front, to Golas, Keisse, and also Pineau bringing back a breakaway. It looks difficult to bring back when other teams don't want to do it. Vermote rode at the end for about 5km, and then there was Matteo Trentin and Gert Steegmans really controlling the final. It could have been easy to get carried away and leave me alone too soon, but they didn't do that today. They really rode with their heads, and also with their hearts, the whole team. They really did something special today, each and every one of them. So, that's what has made me proud of this Giro more than the actual wins."

Cavendish devoted the special victory to the team. It was his 15th career win, in five participations, at the Giro d'Italia.

"It was really the best scenario I could have dreamed of," Cavendish said.

As the Giro D’Italia takes a pause on its first rest day, things could hardly be going better for Specialized Racing. Using the full complement of his Specialized equipment—Tarmac SL4, Shiv TT, Body Geometry shoes, Prevail helmet—Italian star Vincenzo Nibali (Team Astana) has exceeded expectations, riding exceptionally well both in the mountains and individual time trial to secure the maglia rosa of the race leader.

A proven climber, Nibali placed extra focus upon proper fit and training for the TT this off-season. Working with Specialized Body Geometry Fit specialists and advanced performance testing with Specialized Racing, measureable improvements were achieved, and the proof has come in the form of Nibali’s best season to date.

While “The Shark” Nibali chases the overall victory, another Specialized rider, Mark Cavendish, is chasing history. “The Manx Missile” took the start at the Giro tantalizingly close to achieving his 100th career win as a professional. Counting his two trademark sprint victories in the first week—both earned upon his S-Works Venge—Cavendish is now poised at #99. Notching triple digits in the win column would place him in rare company, alongside fellow teammate Tom Boonen and the legendary Mario Cipollini.

With nearly two weeks of racing to go, it’s a long way to the finish for Nibali, Cavendish, and the entire peloton. Action at the first grand tour of 2013 resumes on Tuesday.

Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Mark Cavendish was dropped off for the sprint with 170m to go at the end of the 169km flat Giro d'Italia Stage 6 on Thursday, winning the stage that he soon dedicated to the memory of Wouter Weylandt. The entire team worked for him all day long, not only controlling breaks and protecting him, but also moving him into perfect position in the final kilometer.

OPQS rider Gert Steegmans was Cav's final leadout man, bringing him perfectly up the middle of the scrambling peloton to launch his sprint. Elia Viviani (Cannondale ProCycling Team) was 2nd, and Matthew Goss (Orica-GreenEDGE) 3rd.

Cavendish rushed to embrace his teammates after the win.

"I'm so happy right now, it was incredible," Cavendish said immediately after the victory. "The leadout was absolutely perfect, nothing went wrong, it was beautiful. I'm absolutely buzzing. Imagine you have a kit car, something you've built from the start as we have this year with the leadout. You start it, 'vroom vroom' and you know, you have some fears about it, all those things having been put together, about being able to start the engine. I'm just the last part, the last one that makes the most noise. But when it works! That's how you can win. I also want to dedicate this win to Wouter Weylandt, who died tragically at the Giro two years ago."

This is the 26th win for OPQS, in three disciplines, in 2013. This is also the ninth UCI win for Cavendish, and the second of the Giro d'Italia. He now has 99 career wins.

"It was 100 percent beautiful today, and not just the leadout— from the beginning," Cavendish said. "Bobridge and Wurf were two strong guys to have in the breakaway today. We had Serge Pauwels and Gianluca Brambilla pulling from the beginning and we were going strong. Really, really well and they kept going until the last kilometers. Then Jerome Pineau, Michal Golas, Iljo Keisse, and Matteo Trentin took over, and even Julien Vermote came up after getting dropped. He's a young guy and he really rode today. These guys rode until their legs couldn't go anymore. It was really incredible to see that, and this is all before the leadout. I haven't seen riding like this in about a year. Today made me so, so proud."

"Then the leadout was very, very hectic," Cavendish continued. "With the crash it made everybody nervous. All the GC teams were there with even less than 3km to go, like BMC Racing Team and Sky, as well as the sprint teams. It was real, real chaos. I just tried to follow Gert Steegmans. He found my territory and then they timed it perfectly. There was always going to be a team that went too early with a headwind finish. My guys waited, waited, they were patient and they hit it at exactly the right time. They just went fast, fast, fast and they launched me perfectly and I was able to go to the line. I was really happy with it. Gert Steegmans showed today that when he's at his best, he's nearly the best leadout man there's ever been."

Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Mark Cavendish is in the Maglia Rosa after an aggressive final of the 130km Stage 1 of Giro d'Italia on Saturday. The Manx Missile was able to close a gap to Cannondale, Orica-GreenEDGE and Radioshack, launch on the right side, and beat Elia Viviani (Cannondale) and Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ) to the line for the opening stage victory in Napoli.

OPQS did a tremendous job for the entire race protecting their leader, chasing down a lone rider — Cameron Wurf (Cannondale) — with a little more than 18km remaining in the stage that featured two circuits. As the peloton began to establish sprint position in the second, shorter 8km eight-lap circuit, five OPQS riders remained at the front for Cavendish. The tempo was set so high that the peloton split. The front group split even more in the final few kilometers, as a crash behind the front left only a few teams with leadouts left to contest the sprint finale.

Gert Steegmans was the final leadout man for Cavendish, but a mechanical caused a setback in his efforts. Cavendish still managed to work his way into close enough position for a win — and his speed, from a few riders back in the sprint, was simply unmatchable.

This is the 25th victory for OPQS, in three disciplines. Cavendish has also won eight races in 2013.

"It was a difficult stage for me, with all the corners and accelerations it was almost like a criterium race or something," Cavendish said. "The team did an incredible job to stay in the front. Things didn't go quite so perfect in the end, with Steegmans getting a mechanical problem in the final kilometer, but I made the best of it. I had to catch the GreenEDGE train and that took a lot of energy. Sprinters are ones who can really sprint in the red zone, and I was in the red for most of that. It was really hot out there, but I wanted it so bad. The team worked so hard for me all day, and after the Classics not quite going as planned we wanted to really start getting things right. I'm happy we could win this first stage."

Jerome Pineau and Steegmans crashed, but without physical consequence while working at the front for Cavendish with about 40kms to go.

"Just because it's not a big line in the last kilometer doesn't mean that the team hasn't done everything to get me there," Cavendish continued about the work of the team going into the sprint finale. "You would have seen a mastermind from Gert had he not had yet another mechanical this year. He did an incredible job to lead me up in the last kilometers, got on the right wheel and then unfortunately had a mechanical problem. Sure I had to close a gap in the last kilometer but had he not had a complication, you would have seen him lead me to the front and then in the final. So I'm really happy how it went, as the guys rode all day on the front. It's not easy to sit on the front when you've got guys surging and there's a sprint for every corner. It's like a series of efforts. It's not easy to sprint for every corner, brake, accelerate. It's not easy and the team did that all day before dropping me off at the end. I'm lucky I've got the speed to be able to come back like that in the final. I'm really happy today."

Cavendish also made a bit of a promise with Paul Smith, designer of the 2013 Giro d'Italia Maglia Rosa.

"He said 'I'm coming to Napoli, but you've got to promise you'll win the jersey for me,'" Cavendish said of his conversation with Smith before the Giro. "I told him I'll try my best and see what happens. I'm super happy, he's a great friend of mine. He's always a supporter whether things are going good or bad. You can see he just loves it. He loves cycling, and he did some laps in the team car today. I'm so happy he's here. He's a really great man. What he's done to design the jersey for the Giro is really incredible. I'm happy to wear it, for him and the team."

As for the next goals, Cavendish said that the set up of the Giro this year makes the goal of the Red Jersey a particularly difficult task for pure sprinters. He said his bigger goal is victories in the few remaining flat stages that favor the bunch sprints. Also, he noted that the Stage 2, 17.4km TTT will not be as easy as it may seem with a team that won the UCI TTT World Championship in 2012. Still, OPQS will do what it can with a strong bunch of riders.

"We had a more specialist TTT group in Tirreno-Adriatico," Cavendish said. "We had Tony Martin there, who did about 15km of the 18km on the front. So, it's a little difficult without a guy like him, but we will do our best. The TTT is a lot more about commitment from the riders and you saw today that we've got that. So, we're going to do everything to keep the Maglia Rosa and have respect for the jersey. We also have respect for each other. We want to try and succeed."

Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team

Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider and UCI World TT Champion Tony Martin powered to yet another time trial victory in 2013, winning the 18.7km Stage 5 of Tour de Romandie on Sunday with a time of 21'07", averaging 53.105km/h.

"Panzerwagen" was fastest at Le pont du Mont-Blanc, and the finish by 16" over Adriano Malori (Lampre-Merida). Christopher Froome (Team Sky ProCycling) was 3rd (+34").

Martin now has six victories this season, including four ITT wins. He also was a crucial rider in a TTT victory in Tirreno-Adriatico. OPQS now has 24 wins, in three disciplines, this season. OPQS also won three stages out of six (including a prologue) at Romandie.

"I came to Tour de Romandie to try to make a good result in the GC, but maybe it was a bit of a mistake to attack yesterday in the mountain stage," Martin said. "I lost my chance to be in the top 10, so I focused on today's TT. I knew the parcour was perfect for me today. The course was not complicated. It was totally flat, so I was able to give 100 percent right from the start because there was no mountain or any technical parts that can make a big difference. So you have to keep a steady, good speed from the beginning and I did that. I am happy with my win today."Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider and UCI World TT Champion Tony Martin powered to yet another time trial victory in 2013, winning the 18.7km Stage 5 of Tour de Romandie on Sunday with a time of 21'07", averaging 53.105km/h.

"Its been a great race for us," says Team Director Ronny Lauke. "It's nice to head into May with some good results after the bad luck we've had with injuries in the Spring. The bad luck has really made the girls stronger together as a team. Ellen and Evie were on the podium again today but the other three - Lisa, Tayler and Loren worked so hard today. They can suffer like hell and they squeezed everything out today."

Tomorrow's finale is a six lap, 100km stage in the town of ORLOVÁ.

A blog about Stevens' come back to racing can be read on her Velonews blog.

Meersman launched off the wheel of Michael Albasini (Orica-GreenEDGE) after being led to the final meters by his teammates. He bested Francesco Gavazzi (Astani) and Albasini.

This was the 23rd victory, in three disciplines, for OPQS in 2013. It was also Meersman's fourth victory of the season. Meersman is now tied with Richie Porte (Team Sky ProCycling) for the most UCI WorldTour wins, and OPQS has eight WorldTour victories.

"I was disappointed about my sprint yesterday and wanted to make it up today for everybody — my teammates especially ," Meersman said. "They did a great job today, did a perfect leadout and I'm really happy with my second victory at Tour de Romandie. It maybe looked easy in the final but it was not so easy. With 2 kilometers to go I knew the guys had something left in the tank to catch Malori ahead (Lampre-Merida). Tony Martin took me to the last 600 or 700 meters. It was perfect. As for tomorrow, I'm going to help the boys now. Before coming here I had three stages in mind. The first stage I won, then yesterday I was third, and today I won again. So, I am happy."

After six weeks out of racing after a bad crash in mid March, Evelyn Stevens is back to racing and placed 4th in today's prologue. A repeat of her performance at the same prologue last year where she went on to win the overall tour.

"I'm really happy with the girls," said Sport Director Ronny Lauke. "It has been a hard spring for them having three of our key riders out of action. "The whole team has stepped up and are racing really well together and supporting each other through the injuries.

"Having Evie back is great. She's looking good and she's very excited to be racing. Trixi has a broken collarbone and will be out for another six weeks and Ina is still nursing her post concussion syndrome but she is showing good progress."

"We are excited to race here again. We had a great time here last year and we hope to be able to repeat that again."

“The race started coming together in the last three laps and so I just stayed with it up the climb, every time I managed to stay with the front group. It got towards the end and Logan brought me up for the last time up the climb, he put me in good position and made it over the top. Stefano brought me a lot of the way up on the last little roller before we come into the flat finish.” Bassetti said.

“I definitely got stuck out in the wind a bit in the last 500 meters and couldn’t quite get the perfect wheel for the sprint so I ended up having to try and come around on the windy side and wasn’t really able to come around anyone so stayed in third place.”

The circuit, with the challenging 300-foot climb, rollers and descents always leads to numerous attacks and today was no exception.

“It was a pretty aggressive race. Obviously it’s a pretty hard circuit and we wanted to be aggressive initially and hopefully get the right guys up the road.” Bassetti added. His role was to stay as fresh as possible for the expected bunch sprint. “From the start, I was kind of surviving on the climb, I didn’t feel super great but I tried to go with a few things and then recover when I could for the climb.”

Meanwhile, Robin Eckmann, Logan Owen and Torey Philipp all took turns in break attempts, but to no avail. Bassetti continued, “A lot of dangerous moves got off the front, we were represented in most of them but the one main move that we weren’t in, which was probably our biggest mistake of the race.”

Under the impetus of the yellow jersey Kirk Carlsen (Predator) the field ultimately reeled in the break with two laps to go, and Owen launched a counter-move.

“It all came back together, it was strung out and I felt pretty good. I saw that everything was coming to a close, I knew that I wasn’t going to have anything for the sprint and might as well try and get some more time and try to move up in the top 10 overall. I felt good and I attacked, went to the top of the hill and then I looked back, there wasn’t enough of a gap going over the climb so I kind of sat up going over the climb.” Owen explained. “My junior gears just can’t go down that hill as fast as everybody else.”

It all came down to the last lap. Owen continued, “I knew that Sam was going to be good for the sprint, and he told me to move up so I was slowly moving him up and finally by the feedzone, I had gone to the front. I spent a lot of energy getting into the front here, so I just sat in the pack and he ended up getting third, he did it all of it on his own, that’s awesome.”

Daniel Holloway (Mike’s Bikes) won the stage while Carlsen took the overall. Stefano Barberi finished 10th overall.

Nibali also won the Overall Classification of the four-day race, finishing Friday's 166km stage from Arco to Sega di Ala more than three and a half minutes ahead of previous leader Maxim Bouet of France.

Astana Pro Team rider Fabio Aru finished fourth on Friday, responding to attacks on the steepest part of the final climb to keep the white jersey of the Best Young Leader.

"The plan from the beginning of the Giro del Trentino was to win the race and also to put Fabio Aru in a good position on the climbs, where we know he has a very strong pedaling style and we know he can do well. Today under pressure Fabio responded like a champion," Nibali said.

Nibali also won the green mountain jersey, and finished ahead of his key competitors in the upcoming Giro d'Italia, which starts in two weeks.

"Astana had some brilliant work catching the breakaway. First with Tanel Kangert and then Paolo Tiralongo. Our training camp in Tenerife was a very good preparation for this race and the next events on our schedule. Vincenzo is just coming to his peak form, and so are the rest of the riders in the long list ahead of the Giro d'Italia," said Astana Pro Team Director Sportif Alexandr Shefer.

"The Amstel Gold is a race for tough Grand Tour riders like myself because it's hard and long, six hours," Kreuziger said. "There are not many that can make moves like that after six hours."

Kreuziger escaped solo with seven kilometres to race and held off big names like Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing) and Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEDGE).

His win gave Specialized Racing and the S-Works Tarmac five Ardennes Classics victories in as many years. Last year, team Astana's Enrico Gasparotto sprinted to victory in the Amstel Gold Race and Maxim Iglinsky took out the big one, Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Those wins add to Liège-Bastogne-Liège victories by Alexandre Vinokourov in 2010 and Andy Schleck in 2009.

It's been quite an achievement, and that doesn't even count the many podium placings, brave rides through the Ardennes' hills, or historic success on the cobbled classics.

Though the 26-year-old Czech switched teams last year from Astana, he remained a Specialized rider who continues to benefit from its technologies. Not only can he rely on Specialized bikes, helmets and shoes, but also behind-the-scene technologies like the Body Geometry Fit system

It may seem insignificant, but every top-level athlete recognizes that the little bits add up. It's been a gradual progression in the Ardennes Classics, with a Specialized helping hand for Kreuziger. He went from placing 50 to 40th, to a fourth in Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2011, and a win in Amstel Gold Race today.

In Team Saxo-Tinkoff, Roman relies upon experts, team owner Bjarne Riis and multiple Grand Tour champion, Alberto Contador. The idea is that Kreuziger will support Contador in the Tour de France while taking in valuable experience.

The experience will only add to that gained from his Tour de Romandie and Tour de Suisse wins. Or his lessons learnt while riding multiple top tens in Grand tours, like his eighth place in the 2010 Tour de France.

"I've kept my faith and here I am. I'm in a team with a big leader, Contador, and a good director, Riis. They believed in me and gave me faith," Kreuziger explained.

Saxo-Tinkoff gave me a programme that is big, where I'm able to race Grand Tours and classics like Amstel Gold, where I am captain. Racing the Tour de France next to Contador will only help me learn. Don't forget, I'm still young enough to learn. In these next two years I can learn a lot."

For now, Kreuziger simply enjoys the benefits of a strong team and the Ardennes Classics week. And yes, his Amstel Gold beer.

"This week is the first big goal of my season," he added. "Winning the Amstel Gold Race, I've started well."

In an exciting race marred with early crashes but raced aggressively from beginning to end, Van Dijk made the four person break which escaped over the top of the Kwaremont. With the break including Vos from Rabobank, Emma Johansson from Orica-GreenEdge and Elisa Longo-Borghini (Hi-Tec) the four were able to extend their lead on the Paterberg and ride to the finish with over 1'30" on the chasing groups.

Despite much attacking in the final 5km, the group came to the line for a sprint which Vos took from Van Dijk and Johansson.

"It was a great race," said Van Dijk. "Of course it's always frustrating when you come second but we tried everything we could to get away from Marianne. She just has that little kick that makes it impossible to escape from her.

"I'm really pleased with the way things are going this year and today my team-mates were amazing. I really didn't have to do a thing before the Kwaremont, so that helped a lot."

The team now head up to Groningen in Holland for Energiewacht Tour and a group in America will race Redlands.

Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Sylvain Chavanel came into the final stage just 10" down in the overall, and he demolished the Driedaagse Van De Panne-Koksijde Stage 3b 14.7km time trial on Thursday, winning the stage and the overall for the second straight year. The victory of Chavanel was a well executed plan of OPQS, putting their GC leaders Niki Terpstra and Chavanel in the best position for the overall, while also going for stage wins with Mark Cavendish.

Chavanel put on a show despite a technical course, passing the split 9.57" faster. He won with a time of 18'02", which was fastest by 19".

It was not just individual success for OPQS on Thursday. Terpstra also finished 3rd in the GC, and OPQS riders Guillaume Van Keirsbulck and Mark Cavendish were 9th and 10th overall. Furthermore, OPQS won the team classification.

Chavanel added the 19th and 20th win, in three disciplines, for OPQS in 2013 by taking the stage and overall. Chavanel achieved three of those 20 victories.

"I like to race, it doesn't matter which race," Chavanel said. "I like this race a lot, however. Now I have 48 hours to recover after this double victory and be ready for the race on Sunday. Last year I had a few little problems with my health during Paris-Nice. This year everything went good and normal so far. I'm in good condition. My objective is to maintain this form until Paris-Roubaix. As for the Ronde, I'm not one of the favorites. Sagan is strong and also Cancellara, but we have a strong, united team. We are experienced in these kind of races and also with great specialists such as Tom and Niki. The strategy will also be important. Maybe there are also a few underdogs for the race on Sunday that can surprise everyone. We will do our best as a team and we will see!"

Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team had complete control of the front of the peloton in the final kilometers of the 204.2km Stage 2 of Driedaagse Van De Panne-Koksijde, putting all riders on the front working very hard for sprinter Mark Cavendish.

However, with just 1km to go, Iljo Keisse and Niki Terpstra — in a headwind — were left with the responsibility of leading out Cavendish. Despite the challenging situation, they pulled so hard for the Manx Missile they had a gap with only one rider able to stay on the wheel of Cavendish.

As the race came back together for the final, and sprinters such as Francesco Chicchi (Vini Fantini-Selle Italia), Andre Greipel (Lotto-Belisol), Elia Viviani (Cannondale), and Arnaud Demare (FDJ) loomed, Cavendish launched up the right side from several hundred meters out. Terpstra put in a tremendous effort as the final leadout man.

Cavendish went on to win the bunch sprint from long distance, with Viviani 2nd and Chicchi 3rd.

This is the 18th win, in three disciplines, for OPQS in 2013.

"I didn't feel that great actually earlier on in the day," Cavendish said. "We talked this morning about doing what we can to dig in for a bunch sprint. Halfway through I was like, 'I don't know if I can do it today.' I didn't feel great, but as the finish grew near we just kind of got to the front. It wasn't even spoken about. We were just doing it, like we were going for the sprint. Everyone stayed in the front and as you could see, the last lap was incredibly fast all together. The guys were in great form to not just do fast pulls, but really long pulls as well at the end. That just put me in position for the final corner. I wanted to be two or three back out of the last corner and that is exactly where I was. So, I was really, really happy. With one kilometer to go I just sat there waiting, waiting, waiting. I wanted to go at 450 meters really. I felt the sprint going early on my left, so I had to kick out earlier than normal. In a headwind if you kick out too hard you die out and riders come from behind. So I didn't go full gas. I just kept accelerating and accelerating as guys were coming through."

"The team was phenomenal for me today," Cavendish continued. "Big pulls at the end and it was a hard finish. I'm really happy. The guys had to go long just because of the wind. We wanted to keep it lined out in that last big road, and then we had to use guys to try and get to the corner before the small road at 450 meters to go. Iljo and Niki had to take some big, big pulls. But they were really strong and I am really proud of them."

"One of the biggest stars who has ever been in cycling, he's one of the guys who has got the most faith in me," Cavendish said of Tom Boonen, who did plenty of work setting up the leadout and chasing down breaks earlier in the race. "That's incredible. I spoke to Tom last night, and I said 'It really means a lot that you're here.' It's the first time we've raced to a final together this year, as at Gent-Wevelgem he crashed out. But seeing the confidence he had in me yesterday, and I mean all the guys as well, it's really nice. I spoke to them last night about that and you've seen the same again today. These guys are flying. It could be easy for them to take their own opportunity to win races here in Belgium. But they're committed to the new guy on the team and it means a lot to me. I am so happy for the commitment from all the guys. Some guys thought we were going for the sprint yesterday. It couldn't be further from the truth. Yesterday's stage is never, ever finished in a bunch sprint. We were going for our GC guys, and I was there to help. I'm happy they were able to turn around and help me today. So we're in good position. We've won a stage and we're still up there in the GC. We're looking forward to the final day."

Boonen also took some time to talk about the race and his condition. He will not take the start tomorrow.

"I'm very happy about the victory of Mark, he deserves it and the team supported him very well today," Boonen said. "Concerning me, it was a 'good day at the office'." After the race I did 30 minutes on the hometrainer just to relax the muscles after the race. The knee is quite good, even if it hurts a bit when I am full gas. But I can live with it. Now It's important to recover well at home in the next 24 hours and on Friday I will join the rest of the team to get into the mood of the race. I wish to the guys here in De Panne all the best for tomorrow. I'm sure they can get again good results."

Secondly, we’re starting a bit slower than in years past, and that’s intentional. We had our first team camp in November 2012 and then set the riders to their “off-season”. We stayed in contact every week, but kept the “fire” burning low. Experience has taught us that cycling has some very long seasons. And, our focus has always been on Nationals. Always has been, always will be!

Finally, this is a great group of young men to work with. With the support of our Founders and

generous sponsors they are making great strides in their cycling development.

Thank you!

Larry Nolan, Junior Director

Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team had an aggressive strategy going into the predicted bunch sprint of Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Stage 2 on Tuesday, with Michal Golas attacking with a few other riders, and sprinter Andrew Fenn looking like he may be the sprinter after Golas and the attackers were caught with 1.7km to go.

However, it was Fenn who actually served as a leadout for Gianni Meersman. While Fenn was riding up the left side, race leader Meersman — who won Stage 1 in a select group on Monday — launched his sprint on the right side. It was the perfect tactic, and Meersman held on with a powerful effort for the victory.

Meersman expanded his GC lead to 14" with the win due to the bonus seconds, and his win is the 17th for OPQS, in three disciplines, in 2013.

Volta Ciclista a Catalunya heads into a mountain stage for Stage 3. The 180.1km stage includes three categorized climbs, and a summit finish on HC Vallter (19.38km, average gradient 6%, max ramp 15%).

"Even today it was a great sprint," Meersman said of his victory. "It was a great day for the team. At the beginning we expected not a lot of support from other teams, which is quite normal. But, just as it was yesterday, the team was really strong. We managed to control the race. The final circuit was nervous, but we were always on the front controlling. Then, I have to say the team did a great job in the last 2 kilometers. Dries did a great thing closing the gap on two Blanco riders off the front, and then Andy Fenn led me to the 200 meter point. It was perfect, so I came out from the bunch and I did my sprint and I won, so I am glad I was able to win again for me and the team. This team, everyone knows their job and it's marvelous and super to ride with each and every one. Even for me personally it was a great moment in my career, It's the first time I've won two races in a row. It's really a special feeling after all the sacrifices I have done in my career. I am happy also for my family. I haven't seen them often because of the races, but I am sure they will enjoy with me this moment. About the stage of tomorrow, we will go into the mountains. So it will be my turn to help and work for my teammates and try to give them back all the help they gave me for these two first stages."

Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team showed both power and confidence on a rainy 16.9km TTT course at Tirreno-Adriatico, winning the opening stage with a time of 19'24" on Wednesday.

Mark Cavendish, Tony Martin, Niki Terpstra, Zdenek Stybar, and Michal Kwiatkowski finished 11" faster than Movistar Team, and 16" faster than BMC Racing Team. OPQS averaged 52.268km/h. This victory gives OPQS the 13th win, in three disciplines, in 2013.

Cavendish, who crossed the line first, is the race leader going into Stage 2.

"it's been a tough lead into the season for me," said Teutenberg. "Trying to find the motivation to do another year, but this race is always a good way to start the season and I'm happy to have been able to pull off the win today."

Teutenberg has won this race for the last five years running and has always made Merced her first race of the season.

"It's really a great race," she said. "This year they've made the women's race 4 days which is perfect for us and they make a big effort to support women's cycling. It's a great atmosphere downtown for the crit and it makes racing a lot of fun."

"We have one more day to defend Evie's yellow jersey and we're looking forward to having another good race tomorrow."

The GC shook up today in our favor thanks to the efforts of our seven 15-16 teammates. Oh wait, Jules and Sean are only 14! Well, with Jack winning solo he moved up to 15th place. Sean McElroy was 2nd today and now sits 7th on GC. Jules (12th place, now 20th GC) and Grant (11th place, now 11th GC) helped the race unfold. Grant was in the break with Jack and helped him press his advantage. Jules attacked which helped draw out the 3rd place rider, which Sean followed into his breakaway. Behind Jack and Sean we had Jason (5th place, now 3rd GC), Gage (8th today, 4th GC) and Nick (6th today, 6th GC) driving the pace after 2nd and 4th GC had been dropped. They picked up valuable time.

15-16s Summary of stage two - Jack 1st, Sean 2nd, Jason 5th, Nick 6th, Gage 8th, Grant 11th, Jules 12th

15-16s Summary of GC after two stages - Jason 3rd, Gage 4th, Nick 6th, Sean 7th, Grant 11th, Jack 15th, Jules 20th

For the 17-18 race, or 63 miles of road racing Owen took out the KOM sprint (3 second bonus) and 5th in the final sprint. Owen slid from 3rd GC to 5th. Matt was in a two up breakaway for 16 miles and finished 20th. He is sitting 21st GC. While this doesn't sound like much of an update I have two reflections on this one - firstly, that Matt and Owen had a plan to work together and that they both tried to win the race. Better to race your bike than to spectate on how a race unfolds!

17-18s Summary of stage two - Owen 5th, Matt 20th

17-18s Summary of GC after two stages - Owen 5th, Matt 21st

Craig finished 24th on the stage in the category two race, yet moved up to 12th GC. Jeromy was 28th on the stage and is at 23rd on GC. I won the 55+ road race and still stay 6th on GC.

Tomorrow is the downtown criterium where GC is unlikely to change.

The world time trial champion left no doubt he's king of the hill as he powered his Specialized Shiv TT time trial bike to stage victory and the overall title at the four-day Volta ao Algarve on Sunday in southern Portugal.

The 27-year-old German time machine didn't let damp roads slow him down in a challenging 34km race against the clock. The world champion delivered an impressive ride to erase a 28-second difference and to win the stage stage and reconfirm that he's among the best when it's rider vs. clock.

"It wasn't an easy stage. There were hard climbs and narrow roads, but I found my rhythm. I was hearing the splits so it was a perfect ride," a happy Martin said at the finish line in Tavira. "It's an important test. It shows that things are going in the right way and the work over the winter has paid off."

Despite some early morning rain that dampened roads, the top favorites raced under cloudy skies by relatively dry roads.

The Omega Pharma-Quick Step captain won the stage handily and easily erased the difference to overnight leader Sergio Henao (Sky). The skinny Colombian won Saturday's summit finale, but Martin dug deep to finish within 18 seconds. Henao, who gained a 10-second winner's

bonus, lost more than three minutes to Martin in the undulating, technical course along Portugal's Algarve coast.

Martin easily fended off the time trial specialist and was especially pleased with the performance of his Specialized Venge.

"We've been working on improving my position over the winter and making some changes to the wheels. The overall feeling on the bike is very good," Martin explained. "The bike is nearly perfect. We made some tests, but to win in a race is important. Now we know the bike is

fast."

Martin debuted his season at the Mallorca Challenge last week, but the four-day Algarve was his first major goal. He won the race in 2011 and knows these roads well.

"I like racing here. The roads are good and it's a nice way to start the season," he said. "It gives me a lot of confidence that things are on the right track. We worked hard in the off-season. I didn't get sick or have any crashes. I feel strong and this gives me confidence

going forward."

Martin's next major goal will be Tirreno-Adriatico and then the Tour of Romandie before taking on the Tour de France.

"The goal is to have Tony ride to win every major time trial he starts this year," said Omega Pharma-Quick Step boss Patrick Lefevere. "Last year he had a lot of bad luck, yet he still won a lot. This year will be a big year for Tony. This is just the beginning."

Michal Kwiatkowski (Specialized bikes) finishes a strong second at 58 seconds back to his Omega Pharma-Quick Step teammate to round out a strong week for the team.

Sprinter Mark Cavendish missed out on a chance for a win in the first two stages. In stage 1, two riders surprised the pack and bolted clear late in the stage while in stage 2, Cavendish had troubles changing into his sprint gear in the final 300 meters.

Cavendish, too, heads to Tirreno-Adriatico to prepare for Milan-San Remo, the season's first major classic.

Tom Boonen, recovering from early season setbacks, has been confirmed to start Omloop Het Nieuwsblad at the end of this month.

Contador first, Nibali next... They both attacked to rid themselves of eventual stage winner Joaquím Rodríguez (Katusha) and overall leader Chris Froome (Sky).

"At this point in the season," Contador said, "I don't have the legs to go and drop everyone."

The Spaniard caught his breath at the top of the 5.7-kilometre climb south of the capital city of Muscat.

The battle was as difficult as those he faced in the Vuelta a España last year. Sure, Oman is an easier race, but the stars are still early into their seasons and lack the top-end form.

Contador, Nibali and Rodríguez raced already in Argentina's Tour de San Luis. Froome races for the first time this season.

"Saxo-Tinkoff took it up at bottom of climb," Froome said, "and made it very hard, explosive."

Saxo's Contador shot off early into the climb. He waited for Nibali, but then fired again.

"Contador attacked right way when the climb got going," Nibali said. He rejoined. "Alberto raised the pace again and knowing that he goes better than me on the climbs, I decided to hold my position as close as possible to him."

Nibali's tactics paid off. He re-joined for the final kilometre with Froome and Rodríguez. Moments later, Rodríguez shot clear towards an eventual win.

"We gave him a little bit of space because the 'vera guerra' or true battle was between me, Contador and Froome – us three," Nibali added. "Whoever had the ability to accelerate away in this type final was able to take it."

Contador defended the Spaniard.

"Rodríguez didn't win just because he was the furthest back in the classification and we let him go free," Contador explained, "but because he was the strongest."

Rodríguez finished with Froome hot on his heels. Evans, Contador and Nibali – one by one – came through in the following 30 seconds.

Froome took the overall lead by 24" on Evans, 25" on Contador and 34" on Nibali.

"The GC will stay how it is now," said Contador. "The stage tomorrow shouldn't change the overall."

Tomorrow, the Tour of Oman takes the remaining 142 riders over the Bousher Alamrat climb three times. The final one tops out 12.5 kilometres from the finish line in Boshar.

"My form is coming on, I feel well," Nibali continued. "For sure, I'm not at the same level as last year. I don't have the same condition because this winter was relaxed, harder than last year with many things to do."

Nibali won the stage last year to Green Mountain and went on to place third in the Tour de France. Over the winter, he married Rachele.

This year, he aims for his home race, the Giro d'Italia.

"I was there with the favourites," he added, "so that means that I'm doing well."

An elbow injury and bacteria saw Boonen undergo an emergency operation and miss the Tour of Qatar. He won the race four times, but watched this year on TV. At least his new team-mate Mark Cavendish won, taking four stage wins en route.

"The team took me to Mallorca because I needed the training. I tuned in daily, catching the final kilometres on internet re-play," Boonen said.

"His win was perfect for OmegaPharma. Even with the wins, though, I have my own work to do. I want to back on track as soon as possible to be ready for the classics."

Boonen won the Tour of Qatar in 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2012. The fans at the start and finish each day did not know a lot about cycling, but they did know Boonen's name. Often, they would ask about him.

The race is typically dominated by winds off the Persian Gulf, perfect for a strong rider who is good at riding in the pack, like Boonen.

"It wasn't so windy this time year as it typically is in Qatar," Boonen continued. "I missed it. I missed racing with my rivals and team-mates. I had a hard time concentrating with such a change in programme and approach."

Boonen began racing today in the Tour of Oman. The race runs six days around the capital city of Muscat and plays an important part in Boonen's classics campaign.

He won the Tour of Flanders three times and Paris-Roubaix four times. Last year, he won both races and enjoyed one of his most successful seasons to date.

"I spent a week in the hospital, which was only two weeks ago. It was good training in Mallorca, but that's not how it was in the years before when I raced Qatar. The incident changed everything because I'd usually already be going well at this point, just trying to win stages and races.

Boonen will race the Tirreno-Adriatico ahead of Milano-Sanremo. Afterwards, he will return to the north for the cobbled classics. This year, the Tour of Flanders runs on March 31 and Roubaix, like always, a week later.

"We still have seven weeks to go until the classics, so hopefully the training I did before the incident will pay off. There are a lot of doubts, but I'm working to erase those."

"We have the strongest sprinter in the world," Trentin said.

The Italian is clearly stating the obvious after Cavendish cleaned house in the Tour of Qatar last week. He won four of the six stages partly thanks to Trentin's help.

Cavendish has 23 Tour de France stage wins and a world title in his palmarès. He joined OmegaPharma this off-season.

"Maybe he brings more work or more stress, but when you want to win it doesn't change the job," Trentin added. "In the race everyone looks at us. We have to be the ones to start and the ones to finish. You know it's like that and when you want to win, that's what you have to do. When you have the best, you have to work even better."

The final stage Friday in Doha showcased Trentin's and the team's work. They pulled Cavendish back into action after a crash early into the day, caught the escape group and led to the finish line.

Trentin was the final man to lead the train after Iljo Keisse, Martin Velits, Zdenek Stybar, Niki Terpstra, Stijn Vandenbergh and Guillaume Van Keirsbulck. He had trouble on the previous occasions, once with a mechanical and once being blocked by a rival, but Friday was perfect.

It is an ideal way for the 23-year-old to begin his second year as a professional. Boonen would have likely complemented him on his work when he arrived for the Tour of Oman.

Boonen bonded with Trentin last year. He had his help to win E3 Prijs, Gent-Wevelgem, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

It was a magical season and a magical start for Trentin. Later in the year, his national team also selected him to race as part of the Squadra Azzurra at the World Championships in Valkenburg.

"I was happy with last year; I gained a lot of experience. It was a perfect year! I did all that I needed to do and raced the races, I saw it all," Trentin said.

"Nothing's changed for this year, besides another year of experience under my belt."

The Tour of Oman starts tomorrow and bases itself around the capital city of Muscat. The six days of racing will allow Boonen and the team to understand how Trentin will fit into the classics team this year.

"In Flanders, Roubaix, Gent-Wevelgem... I will be there to support the team. Maybe in the coming years I'll have my chances, without having to pull from kilometre zero.

"Flanders would be great to win some day, but with Tom, Sylvain Chavanel in the team I'll have to wait to have my chance. They need my support now.

"Maybe I can aim for another small classic. I like Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. It's not exactly small, but it's an open classic and there's space for everyone."

With his turn of speed, Cavendish may call Trentin to pull in some races like Milano-Sanremo and Gent-Wevelgem. The possibilities are endless in Trentin's sophomore year.

"It seems like a weird fit with no native English speakers on the team, but it's actually been really good," Huffman explained in Qatar. "I feel really comfortable here and really like it. I don't regret anything."

The 23-year-old raced as an amateur with California Giant, racking up results in the Tour of Gila and Under 23 national time trial. Instead of a step up into the second division, he took two steps forward into the big leagues.

Over the last week, he raced alongside Mark Cavendish (OmegaPharma-Quick Step), Qatar's eventual overall winner, and his new Astana mates.

Huffman helped with the lead-outs for another one of the team's new signees, Andrea Guardini. He saw to Guardini's third place in stage four.

"It was always my goal, 12 months ago coming into the 2012 season I wanted to get on a WorldTour team, I don't see any reason why not," Huffman said of his decision to skip the second division.

"In a [second division] team maybe you have more opportunities, you do a little bit more smaller races, but either way your are at the bottom and trying to learn, so you might as well be on a big team and learn from the best."

Astana is guided by Giuseppe Martinelli and London Olympic Champion, Alexander Vinokourov. This year, the team signed Italian stage race star, Vincenzo Nibali.

Specialized, of course, supplies the team its bikes, including the new Tarmac SL4.

"I've been learning a lot, finishing the race, helping the team as much as I can, when I can," Huffman said.

He sat relaxed under the Qatari sun. His team-mates joked; he laughed along, but seemed somewhat shy. He is, however, observing and learning.

"The teams are a lot more organised, I think that's the biggest difference [from the amateur races]. It's faster, not a lot faster, but when it's hard, it's really hard because the teams all work together to do what they need to do to dictate the race."

Astana races him in the Tour of Oman this week. After returning to his base in Girona, Spain, he continues with 'local' race the Volta a Catalunya.

He discovered that he recovers well in stage races as an amateur. He said that he is looking forward to these stage races and, if not this year then next, to test his recovery in a Grand Tour. It's a long way from the Tour of Gila, but Huffman is showing it's possible.

"I'm over the moon," Cavendish explained. "We came here without Tom Boonen, he got injured and put pressure on me! The guys worked and looked after so well, and just delivered every day. I'm happy to bring it home, it's the fifth time the team won the Tour of Qatar overall. I'm happy to be a part of that."

Cavendish won the race over BMC team-mates Brent Bookwalter and Taylor Phinney. His overall victory came thanks to his dominance, four stage wins and the bonus seconds to go along with them.

Qatar marks only the second overall race win for Cavendish in his career. Last year, he won the Ster ZLM Tour.

His win also gave OmegaPharma its sixth overall win in the Middle East. Boonen won in Qatar four times before – 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012. Wilfried Cretskens won in 2007. This year, Boonen had to sit out due to a crash while on a mountain bike in January. Boonen will be back next week in the Tour of Oman.

Boonen's team looked well after its new recruit throughout the week and today was no different. Cavendish had Ilzo Keisse, Martin Velits, Zdenek Stybar, Matteo Trentin, Niki Terpstra, Stijn Vandenbergh and Guillaume Van Keirsbulck.

Terpstra had been the team's last man to lead Cavendish to the finish line, but today Trentin stepped in and delivered.

"It was kind of like Al Khor [stager four]. The wind was coming from the right and I knew a gap would open on the left. I won here in 2009 with the same kind of tactics," Cavendish explained.

The sixth leg started in the Sealine Beach Resort south of Doha. Once in the capital city, the cyclists completed 10 circuits of 6km. Teams Astana, Sky, Argos-Shimano and Cannondale tried to upset Cavendish's train.

"The guys were going, going and going," continued Cavendish.

"The other teams were coming and started winding up with four laps to go, but it's still going to work out the same in the last lap. ... I wasn't too bothered, I kept saying to the team I'd kind of go alone. You can leave it late and come around the left again. That's what I did because I know it was going to right.

"I left it late, used the other lead outs, just move up in the last few hundred meters on the left side and just go."

Cavendish celebrated his fourth stage win in Qatar and golden jersey, awarded by royalty: cycling legend Eddy Merckx and the Emir's daughter.

After the race, Cavendish said he would go home and see his own daughter. He will be licking his wounds as he crashed early in to the stage.

"I was on Brent Bookwalter's wheel and he just came down," Cavendish explained. "Someone said he hit a bidon, but he doesn't even know what happened. I went over, but that's bike racing. I was a bit banged up, but I'm all right, just a bit twisted, but we'll get that sorted."

"It was the most unpredictable one," Cavendish said of the stage. "We knew from last year that this was going to be the stage that, if we could get through this, we were in with a very good chance of winning the Tour of Qatar."

Teammates Stijn Vandenbergh, Zdenek Stybar, Matteo Trentin and Niki Terpstra led Cavendish into the final circuits in Madinat Al Shamal. A light breeze cooled the riders, unlike the strong gulf winds that blew apart the peloton last year and helped Tom Boonen destroy his rivals.

"I was texting with him [Boonen] last night and he said just bring it home," Cavendish revealed. "I was like, 'That's easy for some to say. I'm not a guy who can end up in a three-man group.' I was a bit nervous actually and he was giving me tips yesterday."

After two days of crashes, today's 154-kilometre stage was clear-cut.

Cavendish won the last intermediate sprint and gained three seconds at km 127.5. Bernhard Eisel (Sky) and Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing) broke free soon after, but Cavendish had Terpstra in the move to control. The trio failed to gain much space and returned for the final circuit.

BMC, Astana and Vacansoleil muscled their way to the front. Phinney now looked over Adam Blythe and Terpstra had Cavendish in his wheel.

"They timed every catch perfectly, they positioned me into every corner perfectly and they gave me a lead-out which was like they'd been doing it for years," added Cavendish. "I've always had commitment from the guys these last two days, but it's about getting together that we didn't really get the last two days, but finally today they were just incredible."

His team helped deal with an early two-man escape and later a five-man move. The race at one point split into four groups, but Cavendish remained attentive and in the group of the favourites.

The day worked out perfectly. Cavendish won the sprint, which served as a birthday present for team owner, Zdenek Bakala.

"I'm really happy with another win and also it's Mr. Bakala's birthday today," Cavendish said. "It's kind of like, what do you get the guy who has everything? I think that as a cyclist, probably a win is the best thing you can give so, happy birthday to him."

Reunited with Specialized following his magical 2011 season—where he won the green jersey at the Tour de France and the World Championships—Cavendish is clearly clicking with his new team. "I've never been so enthusiastic at the start of a new season,” he said from Qatar. “It feels like I'm starting a new career."

As an added bonus, the 'Manx Missile' took over the race leader's jersey from Brent Bookwalter (BMC Racing).

"I'm really happy," Cavendish said, immediately after the finish. "I won here last year, same parcours, and it's pretty much the same wind."

The 160-kilometer stage traveled from Camel Racetrack, which will hold the regional championships in the coming month. Instead of the usual strong winds that rip across the gulf state, the riders were greeted with a relatively calm day.

A three-man escape, with Andriy Grivko (Astana), moved clear and gained around seven minutes on the bunch. In fact, at one point it looked possible they might stay clear. Near Al Khor's seafront at 9km out, sprinters' teams pulled the trio back.

"There was a strong break, we didn't know if we were going to get it back," Cavendish added. "We started riding, but it started going up and up, so it was a little bit nervous, but all the teams chipped in the end."

Cavendish spoke in the leader's golden jersey. He leads the race by two seconds, an advantage gained thanks to a 10-second time bonus on the line.

Omega Pharma - Quick Step dedicated the entire team to that last push. Cavendish relied on Matteo Trentin and Niki Terpstra to navigate the final kilometres, including a tricky roundabout at 1300 metres out.

"We had to use a lot of our guys, there were only three of us left in the end," Cavendish explained.

"I don't like wearing the leader's jersey because you can't really see where I am. Matteo... I lost his wheel. I was on it. He was looking for Quick Step jersey. I was left on my own, but then Niki came in the end. He took me in through to about 700, then he swung off and the winds were coming from the right for the last 300 meters, same as last year."

He added that the picked the inside line going though the roundabout for its shorter distance and to be protected from the harbour breeze.

Andrea Guardini (Astana) kicked early. The same Italian rider beat Cavendish in one stage of the Giro d'Italia last year. Remembering the Al Khor final, however, Cavendish timed his kick to perfection.

"Last year," he added, "I went to about three hundred metres to go, but I left it to a bit later today."

Tom Boonen won the race overall four times. He had to skip this year due to a crash last month. Cavendish carries the team's flag, but his aim is first stages, then the overall.

"I told him don't worry about the jersey, it's not necessary to win the Tour of Qatar," General Manager Patrick Lefevere explained. "If it's possible you do it, but not at all costs."

"I went from about 12 guys back, to a bike length, and then I had to go with 350 (meters to go) and just take it," Cavendish explained. "I'm really happy with the guys. The whole day they rode. I was sheltered and with one of the front guys around every corner. I'm really happy."

The win came after 143 kilometres of racing south of the capital city, Doha. The third leg of the tour started in Al Wakra and ended in Mesaieed.

BMC Racing saw to Brent Bookwalter keeping the race lead. After winning the first stage and his team winning the time trial yesterday, he leads by six seconds over team-mate Taylor Phinney.

A seven-man escape moved clear early in the day, but never was able to get more than three minutes. Near 15 kilometres to race, it was over for them and time for OmegaPharma to enter full flight for Cavendish.

"It was a bit chaotic in the final, like really, really chaotic," Cavendish said. "We lost my last lead-out man with like two KM to go, he broke a spoke or something, so we were down a man. I just had Niki Terpstra taking me into the final kilometres. So many lead-out teams, they think a lead-out is what you need but it's not. It's actually worse if there are more lead-out teams who don't know what they are doing, it just becomes chaos."

Several teams – including NetApp, Saxo Bank and Orica-GreenEDGE – tried to upset Cavendish's victory march. He relied on Terpstra and the decided himself to jump 350 metres out.

"I saw Luke Rowe go with Boasson Hagen [both with team Sky] on the right, and obviously I know from racing with Luke how good he is. I saw him go on the right and I said that's the wheel. More guys came and we ended up quite far back. Like always I thought I had it but then Aidis Kruopis [Orica-GreenEDGE] went so I had to go again just to hold him off."

Cavendish won ahead of Barry Markus (Vacansoleil-DCM) and Kruopis.

He also won last month in Argentina's Tour de San Luis. Having won the World Championships, Milano-Sanremo and 23 stages of the Tour de France, he is cycling's fastest man.

Team Omega Pharma – Quick Step welcomed him with open arms after he annulled his contract with Sky late last year.

"Every race I go to, I go there with a chance of winning," Cavendish said. "I'd like to do that [win consistently]. I'm really happy with Omega Pharma – Quick Step."

The Tour of Qatar continues Wednesday with a 160-kilometre stage through the country's north. High winds typically wreck the peloton, but if his team continues to race as it did in the opening days, there is every reason to believe Cavendish will bag win number three.

"Qatar was my first race as a pro in 2005. Lars Michaelsen won and I was second," Breschel explained in Doha today. "It brings up memories when I'm here."

The Dane turned professional with Saxo Bank in 2005 and continued with the team through 2010. That year he won Dwars door Vlaanderen and helped Fabian Cancellara to the Tour of Flanders.

Over the last two years, he rode with Dutch team Rabobank. The period, however, was marked by a knee injury and he was never able to rev his motor near its top end.

He missed the classics completely in 2011. Only last year did he return, placing third in Ghent-Wevelgem and ninth in the Tour of Flanders.

At the end of the year, he decided to return home, re-joining the Danish super squad of Bjarne Riis. With a full season under his belt, Qatar plays an important part of his classics prep.

"It's always nice to get started and compare yourself to your competitors," Breschel said. "It's an important race and it's nice to start out well and just have a good feeling in the legs."

Breschel is off to a great start. He survived when the race split into echelons and placed seventh the sprint yesterday. Saxo-Tinkoff placed 10th and 26 seconds behind BMC Racing in today's team time trial.

In Qatar, he's joined by Daniele Bennati, Karsten Kroon, Jonathan Cantwell, Jonas Jörgensen, Marko Kump, Anders Lund and Matteo Tosatto. After Qatar, he and the 'classics team' race the Tour of Oman.

Saxo-Tinkoff will meet in Corsica for a training camp before Breschel confronts Paris-Nice and the big one-day classics.

"I always have the dream of winning the Tour of Flanders, but I'm trying to be there from Sanremo until Paris-Roubaix," continued Breschel. "Flanders is the big goal for me. I'll try to help Daniele Bennati in Sanremo, then we'll see how Gent-Wevelgem is; if it ends in a sprint I think Bennati's the fastest guy."

Breschel returned to race on Specialized bikes. His rival Tom Boonen also races on Specialized in team OmegaPharma-Quick Step. Last year, Boonen won Flanders and Roubaix, and impressed everyone, including Breschel.

"He was super strong, the strongest. I hope that he's not as strong this year! He was unbeatable," Breschel said with a grin.

"You feel [his accelerations]. You feel it in your legs when he first opens up, it's incredible. He's getting older, so maybe I have a chance!"