The average speed of just 30 km/h in the first two hours of the race gives an idea of just how strong the wind blew during the initial stage of the Tour of Qatar.  In the end, however, it did not prevent José Joaquin Rojas (Movistar) from showing his speed and overcoming Tom Boonen and Arnaud Démare to win the day.  IAM Cycling’s designated leader, Heinrich Haussler, took a strong 7th place in the final suspenseful sprint.
 
Eddy Seigneur, directeur sportif for the Swiss professional team, did not mince words when discussing the day’s outcome. 

“There is an element of disappointment with the result that we still feel keenly.  Of course, we cannot win every sprint.  But we weren’t even able to put into effect the strategy we had for the finale.  Jonas Van Genechten cracked before he was able to take care of Heino, just as Reto Hollenstein was left behind in a trailing echelon due to a flat he suffered with seven kilometers to go to the finish.  Heinrich Haussler was still able to grab himself a spot in the top-10, but we cannot be content with how our day unfolded.”
 
For his part, Vincente Reynes took the time to explain the absence of a real train for Haussler within sight of the flamme rouge. 

“There was way too much wind to expect much more from the riders.  With seven kilometers to go, Marcel Aregger and I were the last teammates left for Heinrich, and we made the decision to go to the front of the pack to help Heinrich avoid the dangers caused by the tail wind at that point.  We managed to protect Heinrich, but then I wasn’t able to be with him at the final.  Haussler had to fend for himself in the last 500 meters. 

"Personally, I am satisfied with this first exposure to temperatures close to 30 degrees Celsius.  This will help me to prepare better for the Classics, but I don’t deny that I will be happy to go home.  We left for Australia on January 10th and I long to be with my family again.  Of course at the moment, the weather on Mallorca is very bad!”