Cervélo TestTeam were penalized by the race jury following their second place finish today during the Team Time Trial (8.2 km) at the first stage of the men’s Tour of Qatar in West Bay Lagoon. The team was judged to have acted outside the rules. Team Sky won the stage with Garmin-Transition awarded second place. Consequently Cervélo was handed a one-minute penalty. Cervélo TestTeam will continue in the race tomorrow.
“I spoke with Heinrich (Haussler) and Gabriel (Rasch) and they told me that the wind was coming from the right side and to avoid crashing into our team Heinrich was forced to touch Gabriel,” explained Cervélo TestTeam sports director Jens Zemke.
The Qatari Tour is known for its harsh winds, an element that can make the pancake flat event very difficult at times.
“It wasn’t done in an effort to make a better time – it was solely done to avoid a crash,” continued Zemke. “Though it was just Heinrich and Gabriel who were involved and not our whole team, nevertheless the commissar thought that this was enough of an infraction and penalized whole team.”
After today’s performance the team was looking to put Haussler in position for a win, but the one-minute penalty will make that a tall order.
“With our second place result we had a really good chance to ride for the win this race. The riders are frustrated but we will keep on going.”