André Greipel (Lotto Belisol) reestablished the sprinting hierarchy in yesterday's fifth stage of the Tour of Qatar. We have already posted several reactions from the stage and have gathered a few more below.

Marcus Burghardt (BMC, 79th +0.31)

"I think on the second day, we were too far behind on the headwind part and then we had a bad position for the cross tailwind. Today, we did it better. We were on the front with our riders and positioned well. Tomorrow, I think the wind should be less. Normally, nothing happens on the circuit. Maybe five or six riders will get away, but they will be brought back."

Valerio Piva (sports director BMC whose best rider was Sebastian Lander in 41st)

"The race was very nervous at the start. Everyone was ready, though, and we went to the front and tried to jump in some attacks. But it was clear Omega Pharma-Quick Step was only going to let some riders out of the general classification from small teams go. Then, the sprinter teams like Lotto and FDJ worked to close the gap. Whenever it was crosswind from the front, our riders were in good position. Of course, we don't have a sprinter so it was not possible to try something in the final."

Martial Gayant (sports director FDJ whose best rider was Yoann Offredo in 31st)

"We are missing three riders and we felt that in the end but the discipline was good. When the riders hit a strong crosswind 2 kilometres from the finish which caused a sharp acceleration from teams like Lotto Belisol, Belkin, Orica-GreenEDGE and Cannondale, we lacked a bit of power but I am not worried. Today we did a good job and that is the main thing.

"This [the final stage] is the one that is best suited to Arnaud (Demare) but with only four teammates to prepare the sprint for him, we know that we don't have much room. The slightest mistake will cost us dearly. But you never know. No one had expected Arnaud's victory in the same stage two years ago."

Servais Knaven (sports director Team Sky whose best rider was Ian Stannard in 16th)

"It was the quietest day we’ve had so far, that’s for sure. After a fast start we turned into the headwinds and that’s when the break made it up the road. I think a lot of teams were quite happy to see them go because it’s been a tough race so far. They survived until really late in the day before things kicked off with the sprint trains.

"CJ (Chris Sutton) and the rest of the guys were feeling good so we tried to work for him and get on the front, but the whole peloton was trying to do the same. That meant it was a bit hectic at the end there and we weren’t able to execute things quite the way we would have liked. There were a few near misses with crashes but fortunately everyone came through unscathed. Obviously, it was important that Ian didn’t lose any time today as well, and we achieved that, so I’m happy.

"We will try for CJ again tomorrow once we know Ian is safe in terms of the GC because it’s 99% likely to end in a bunch sprint. There’s only one guy who’s ever been able to win solo on that stage, and he was pretty special [Knaven won the stage alone in 2003]."

Valentin Iglinskiy (Astana, 56th +0.19)

“Headwinds today, a bit calmer 160km with the group  together more or less – yesterday was the fastest stage of my career – 55km average speed, took off like wild horses from start to the finish.

“I’m training for Langkawi – that’s where I want to be going well – we’ll see what the directors say after Qatar – I’m getting stronger every day here.”

Vladimir Isaychev (Katusha, part of the early breakaway, 90th +0.52)

“We had a plan for today to try to go in a breakaway. So when I saw some riders attack after 10km of racing, I also attacked.  We had a good escape and worked well together until 7km to go when we were brought back.  We missed a little bit of luck to stay in the front until the finish. But it was a good stage and a good try. I can feel my form progressing and I know I’m getting better day by day. I hope to be 100 percent very soon."

Marcel Aregger (IAM, 101st +1.18)

“Matteo (Pelucchi, 5th)  has achieved a great result considering that we were not able to prepare his sprint as well as we would have liked.  We were not up there at the finish for him at all.  Contrary to our plans, he could not rely on Heinrich Haussler and Sébastien Hinault.  

"Luckily today the stage was easier than yesterday.  Omega Pharma-Quickstep controlled the race at a much more merciful pace, unlike yesterday where we averaged 56.3 km/h over 135 kilometers, which was a personal best for me, in any case.  Luckily we didn’t repeat that today, but I felt the effects with my very heavy legs.

“I learned a lot here in Qatar, especially with regards to racing in the wind.  It simply does not stop blowing here.  In the first stage, I nearly found myself outside the time delay because I was held up by a crash.  Experiences like this will serve me well the rest of my career, and of course, I’ll be better prepared for racing in Europe.” 

“I am delighted to be taking part [in the Tour of Oman].  I worked hard this winter, and I will not expect to suffer too much after this first race.  All I need are the three days of recovery, and then I will be ready to work again as a water carrier for my teammates in the more hilly stages.”

Alex Sans Vega (sports director NetApp-Endura whose best rider was Sam Bennett in 7th)

“Today we again focused on preparing the sprint for Sam. At the same time, it became clear that we need more experience and training to deliver a perfect sprint train. We started our train before we should have, which meant that Sam was ultimately left on his own too soon. That is something that can be coordinated and something we can work on in the next races. I’m glad that our guys are so motivated and willing to work together to address mistakes after the race. They always try to do things better the next day."

Filippo Fortin (Bardiani, 11th s.t.)

”Today I was aiming to a better result, also to make amends from yesterday's bad luck. With my squad we organized a good train but the finale was really tricky. Every team tried to stay in the first positions, the road was not so large and there was a roundabout at the start of the last km. Then in the final straight we found crosswind and those like me who were in about 10th position didn’t have the possibility to move up.  Now we only have one stage in Doha to get a good result”.