DOHA – Belgian Tom Boonen and Briton Mark Cavendish are among the headliners at the 10th Tour of Qatar which starts Sunday in Doha and promises, with its flat course and wind, beautiful scuffles between the sprinters which Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara will attempt to disrupt.

The man with the Tour of Qatar records is Tom Boonen. The triple winner of the race who has 17 stage victories to his credit. Statistics that the rider Flemish Quick Step rider still wants to improve.

“I feel ready. I have a wolf’s appetite,” argued the former champion World (2005).

But it will be necessary to face serious competition led notably by Briton Mark Cavendish, also in search of his best
Tour of Qatar who can count on a strong team and HTC-Highroad support in the sprints from Austrian Bernhard Eisel.

Other sprinters, Italian Francesco Chicchi, Dutch Theo Bos and Kenny van Hummel, Australians Stuart O’Grady and Graeme Brown could benefit from tagging among favorites.

If the wind gets involved – which is often the case in Qatar – the riders could have their say. Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara, of favorite 2.5 km prologue on Sunday, the Italian Filippo Pozzato, Spaniard Juan Antonio Flecha, Norwegian Boasson Hagen Edval, or German Heinrich Haussler could enjoy breaks that are sure to form.

A prologue and five stages are on the agenda of the sixteen teams.

The program:
Sunday – Prologue at the Doha Cultural Village (2.5 km)
Monday – 1st stage: Dukhan – Al Khor Corniche (145.5, km)
Tuesday – Step 2: Camel Race Track – Doha Golf Club (135.5 km)
Wednesday – Step 3: Al Wakra – Mesaieed (150.5 km)
Thursday – Step 4: West Bay Lagoon – Al Kharaitiyat (153.5 km)
Friday – Sealine Beach Resort – Doha Corniche (126.5 km)

The teams (and main committed):
Quick Step (Boonen / BEL, Steegmans / BEL, Chicchi / ITA),
Topsport Vlaanderen Geox (Menchov / RUS),
HTC-Highroad (Cavendish / GBR, Eisel / AUT),
BMC (Phinney / USA Van Avermaet / BEL),
Garmin (Haussler / GER, Hammond / GBR),
EOD (Bonnet, Offredo, Casar / FRA),
Sky (Wiggins / GBR, Flecha / ESP, Hagen / NOR),
Farnese (Visconti / ITA)
Lampre (Hondo / GER),
Astana (Vinokourov / KAZ, Grivko / UKR, Inglinskiy / KAZ),
AnPost (Eeckhout / BEL),
Leopard (Cancellara / SUI, O’Grady / AUS, Bennati / ITA Weylandt / BEL)
Skil (Van Hummel / NED),
Katusha (Pozzato / ITA).