McGee: 'Business as usual' in Qatar
Saxo Bank | February 8, 2010
Bradley McGee is prepared to direct Team Saxo Bank in his second race of the season, the Tour of Qatar stage race. He has a team filled with Tour de France sprinters and Paris-Roubaix champions, ready for "business as usual".
"There is fair bit of fire power here and it will be up to the guys on how much they will open it up," McGee explained from Doha. "I think it will come down more to opportunity, if there is an opportunity then we will jump on it."
Since it is an early-season race, Sports Director McGee said that he won't put too much pressure no his team.
His eight-man Saxo Bank team is impressive, half of which is arriving from racing in Australia at the Tour Down Under: Baden Cooke, Juan José Haedo, Frank Hoj and Stuart O'Grady. Classics stars, Matti Breschel and Fabian Cancellara, arrived with Lucas Sebastian Haedo and Dominic Klemme from Europe Friday. It's a team that can handle Qatar's strong winds and fight for sprints with Cooke, JJ Haedo, O'Grady and Breschel.
"We have a plan ready," confirmed McGee. "We will communicate during the race and fall into a sprint plan after making a decision on the road."
Saxo Bank placed third, just 13 seconds back in the opening team time trial. Today was a different affair, cross-winds exploded the peloton and O'Grady excelled. The Australian winner of Paris-Roubaix formed of a favourites group as the race splintered into fractions. He finished 15th and is now in eighth place overall, 35 seconds behind last year's winner Tom Boonen (Quick Step).
Despite the winds, Qatar's 20°C temperatures are welcomed for the riders coming from Europe. It's a step towards back to Europe and the cold, though, for the four riders who raced in Australia.
"They rode for a couple of hours on their bikes [in training Thursday], in the head-winds and cross-winds," said McGee. "These guys have done well, staying and training in the Australian summer, but the guys from Europe laughed at them today when they were training in their leg-warmers. That is the contrast of environments, it's amazing but that is the way it is."
The Tour of Qatar runs through Friday, February 12. Before heading back to Europe, McGee will then travel with the same eight riders to race the Tour of Oman.
