Mark Cavendish (Team Columbia-Highroad) captured his first victory of the 2009 season on Wednesday when he outsprinted the field on stage four of the Tour of Qatar.

Cavendish took a convincing win in a stage where strong winds and splits in the bunch meant teamwork played a crucial part in his victory.

“Today was the kind of day that had to finish in a win,” Cavendish said afterwards. “My team did a great job as a unit, working hard in the early part of the stage, getting Michael [Barry] in the break, then doing a brilliant job to get me up there for the final sprint.”

“There were five of us in the front group early on, then four, then three in the last part, but
everybody did a perfect job all day. The conditions were very tough, but that’s Qatar, it’s always
windy here. There are two more stages to come and hopefully I’ll be able to do well in those ones, too. I’ve been unfortunate in the finishes earlier on in this race, now it seems my luck has turned.”

On Wednesday Cavendish outpowered German Heinrich Haussler and Belgian race leader Tom Boonen in a long sprint in the northern fishing town of Madinat Al Shamal. After his victory, Cavendish is now lying ninth overall.

In a dramatic day’s racing, cross-winds shattered the peloton on the long exposed ride from Doha’s Old Souq across the Qatar desert. But Cavendish and his Columbia-Highroad team-mates were never far from the front.

Wednesday’s win was even more satisfying for Cavendish because in the first two sprint stages bad luck had kept Cavendish out of contention. Tuesday’s stage was particularly frustrating for the British rider. A puncture less than 1500 metres from the line wrecked Cavendish’s chances when he was on the point of accelerating for
the finish.

The Tour of Qatar ends on Friday, when Cavendish heads directly to the United States to join his team at a training camp leading up to the 2009 Amgen Tour of California.

February 4, 2009: Tour of Qatar: Doha - Madinat Al Shamal (142 km):
1 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team Columbia-Highroad       04:04:55
2 Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Cervélo TestTeam
3 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step
4 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Team Katusha
5 Robert Förster (Ger) Team Milram
6 Daniel Lloyd (GBr) Cervélo TestTeam
7 Martijn Maaskant (Ned) Garmin - Slipstream
8 Mirco Lorenzetto (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.
9 Tom Veelers (Ned) Skil-Shimano
10 Roger Hammond (GBr) Cervélo TestTeam
11 Kristof Goddaert (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen
12 Martin Reimer (Ger) Cervélo TestTeam                  0.03
13 Xavier Florencio Cabre (Spa) Cervélo TestTeam
14 Andreas Klier (Ger) Cervélo TestTeam                  0.05
15 Gabriel Rasch (Nor) Cervélo TestTeam
16 Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas
17 Michael Friedman (USA) Garmin - Slipstream            0.06
18 Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Team Columbia-Highroad
19 Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Rabobank           0.17
20 Jeremy Hunt (GBr) Cervélo TestTeam                    0.19
21 Marcus Burghardt (Ger) Team Columbia-Highroad         0.26
22 Kenny Robert Van Hummel (Ned) Skil-Shimano            0.42
23 Angelo Furlan (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.
24 Markus Zberg (Swi) BMC Racing Team
25 Koen De Kort (Ned) Skil-Shimano
26 Marco Velo (Ita) Quick Step
27 Thomas Fothen (Ger) Team Milram
28 Pieter Vanspeybrouck (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen
29 Stéphane Poulhies (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
30 Bert Grabsch (Ger) Team Columbia-Highroad
31 Kevin Hulsmans (Bel) Quick Step
32 Wouter Weylandt (Bel) Quick Step                      0.56
33 Marco Bandiera (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.
34 Roy Sentjens (Bel) Silence - Lotto
35 Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Silence - Lotto
36 Stijn Neirynck (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen
37 Johan Van Summeren (Bel) Silence - Lotto
38 Joost Posthuma (Ned) Rabobank
39 Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) Rabobank
40 Martin Kohler (Swi) BMC Racing Team
41 Denis Galimzyanov (Rus) Team Katusha
42 Marc De Maar (Ned) Rabobank
43 Wilfried Cretskens (Bel) Silence - Lotto
44 Mauro Da Dalto (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.
45 Gregory Henderson (NZl) Team Columbia-Highroad
46 Roy Curvers (Ned) Skil-Shimano
47 Leif Hoste (Bel) Silence - Lotto
48 Huub Duyn (Ned) Garmin - Slipstream
49 Peter Wrolich (Aut) Team Milram
50 Cycril Lemoine (Fra) Skil-Shimano
51 Artur Gajek (Ger) Team Milram
52 Maarten Wynants (Bel) Quick Step
53 Antonio Cruz (USA) BMC Racing Team
54 Renaud Dion (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
55 Sebastian Lang (Ger) Silence - Lotto
56 Hans Dekkers (Ned) Garmin - Slipstream                1.41
57 Omar Hasanin (Syr) Doha Team
58 Björn Schröder (Ger) Team Milram                      1.46
59 Alexei Markov (Rus) Team Katusha
60 Dominik Roels (Ger) Team Milram
61 Mitchell Docker (Aus) Skil-Shimano
62 Aymen Ben Hassine (Tun) Doha Team
63 Stuart Shaw (Aus) Drapac Porsche Cycling
64 Guennadi Mikhailov (Rus) Team Katusha
65 Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) Rabobank
66 Claudio Corioni (Ita) Liquigas                        1.51
67 José Luis Arrieta Lujambio (Spa) AG2R La Mondiale     1.54
68 Miyataka Shimizu (Jpn) Meitan Hompo - GDR             2.17
69 Guillaume Pont (Fra) Meitan Hompo - GDR
70 Michael Barry (Can) Team Columbia-Highroad
71 Mikhail Ignatiev (Rus) Team Katusha
72 Ricardo Van Der Velde (Ned) Garmin - Slipstream
73 Rhys Pollock (Aus) Drapac Porsche Cycling             2.30
74 Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale                  3.30
75 Daniele Righi (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.
76 Stijn Joseph (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen                4.22
77 Frantisek Rabon (Cze) Team Columbia-Highroad
78 Tareq Esmaeili (Qat) Doha Team                        8.06
79 Cédric Pineau (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
80 Yuriy Krivtsov (Ukr) AG2R La Mondiale
81 Gianni Da Ros (Ita) Liquigas
82 Mickaël Damiens (Fra) Meitan Hompo - GDR
83 Farid Belhani (Alg) Doha Team
84 Marcin Sapa (Pol) Lampre - N.G.C.
85 Dean Windsor (Aus) Drapac Porsche Cycling
86 Simon Spilak (Slo) Lampre - N.G.C.
87 Florian Stalder (Swi) BMC Racing Team
88 Yasuharu Nakajima (Jpn) Meitan Hompo - GDR
89 Kazuya Okazaki (Jpn) Meitan Hompo - GDR
90 Frederick Nolf (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen
91 Masaaki Kikuchi (Jpn) Meitan Hompo - GDR
92 Jackson Stewart (USA) BMC Racing Team
93 Rafaa Chitioui (Tun) Doha Team
94 Kristof Vandewalle (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen
95 Daniel Braunsteins (Aus) Drapac Porsche Cycling
96 Kilian Patour (Fra) Garmin - Slipstream
97 Joon Yong Seo (Kor) Meitan Hompo - GDR
98 Abdelbaset Hannachi (Alg) Doha Team
99 Servais Knaven (Ned) Team Milram
100 Joseph Lewis (Aus) Drapac Porsche Cycling
101 Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team
102 Ashley Humbert (Aus) Drapac Porsche Cycling
103 Niki Terpstra (Ned) Team Milram
104 Tom Stamsnijder (Ned) Rabobank
105 Robbie Williams (Aus) Drapac Porsche Cycling
106 Badr Banihammad (UAE) Doha Team
107 Peter Mc Donald (Aus) Drapac Porsche Cycling
108 Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Liquigas
109 Maarten Neyens (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen
110 Jürgen Roelandts (Bel) Silence - Lotto
111 Sven Renders (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen
112 Francesco Chicchi (Ita) Liquigas
113 Vicente Reynes Mimo (Spa) Team Columbia-Highroad
114 Moosa Said (Qat) Doha Team
115 Massimiliano Mori (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.
116 Gatis Smukulis (Lat) AG2R La Mondiale
117 Blel Kadri (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
118 Sébastien Rosseler (Bel) Quick Step
119 Kevin Van Impe (Bel) Quick Step
120 Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Liquigas
121 David Deroo (Fra) Skil-Shimano
122 Alexander Serov (Rus) Team Katusha
123 Chad Beyer (USA) BMC Racing Team
124 Danilo Napolitano (Ita) Team Katusha
125 Bart Dockx (Bel) Silence - Lotto
126 Bram Tankink (Ned) Rabobank
127 Taylor Tolleson (USA) BMC Racing Team
128 Ben Swift (GBr) Team Katusha
129 William Frischkorn (USA) Garmin - Slipstream
130 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream
131 Murilo Fischer (Bra) Liquigas                        8.23
132 Steven De Jongh (Ned) Quick Step                     9.16

Overall rankings after stage 4:
1 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step       10:19:07
2 Roger Hammond (GBr) Cervélo TestTeam                   0.10
3 Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Cervélo TestTeam               0.12
4 Daniel Lloyd (GBr) Cervélo TestTeam                    0.25
5 Andreas Klier (Ger) Cervélo TestTeam                   0.27
6 Xavier Florencio Cabre (Spa) Cervélo TestTeam          0.28
7 Angelo Furlan (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.                    1.07
8 Gabriel Rasch (Nor) Cervélo TestTeam                   1.43
9 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team Columbia-Highroad            2.21
10 Tom Veelers (Ned) Skil-Shimano                        2.35
11 Martin Reimer (Ger) Cervélo TestTeam
12 Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Team Columbia-Highroad           2.43
13 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Team Katusha                    2.56
14 Jeremy Hunt (GBr) Cervélo TestTeam                    3.19
15 Denis Galimzyanov (Rus) Team Katusha                  3.24
16 Markus Zberg (Swi) BMC Racing Team                    3.26
17 Wilfried Cretskens (Bel) Silence - Lotto              3.58
18 Mirco Lorenzetto (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.                4.06
19 Kenny Robert Van Hummel (Ned) Skil-Shimano            4.47
20 Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) Rabobank                     4.54
21 Renaud Dion (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale                    5.00
22 Peter Wrolich (Aut) Team Milram                       5.05
23 Huub Duyn (Ned) Garmin - Slipstream                   5.47
24 Joost Posthuma (Ned) Rabobank                         5.51
25 Artur Gajek (Ger) Team Milram                         6.00
26 Marco Velo (Ita) Quick Step                           7.46
27 Koen De Kort (Ned) Skil-Shimano                       7.57
28 Robert Förster (Ger) Team Milram                      8.36
29 Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Rabobank           8.42
30 Kristof Goddaert (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen            8.45
31 Vicente Reynes Mimo (Spa) Team Columbia-Highroad      8.58
32 Danilo Napolitano (Ita) Team Katusha                  9.11
33 Wouter Weylandt (Bel) Quick Step                      9.20
34 Marc De Maar (Ned) Rabobank                           9.23
35 Michael Friedman (USA) Garmin - Slipstream            9.24
36 Martin Kohler (Swi) BMC Racing Team                   9.35
37 Steven De Jongh (Ned) Quick Step                      9.38
38 Kevin Hulsmans (Bel) Quick Step                       9.47
39 Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas                            10.11
40 Murilo Fischer (Bra) Liquigas                        10.13
41 Gregory Henderson (NZl) Team Columbia-Highroad       10.19
42 Roy Curvers (Ned) Skil-Shimano                       10.28
43 Marco Bandiera (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.                 10.44
44 Pieter Vanspeybrouck (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen       10.45
45 Michael Barry (Can) Team Columbia-Highroad
46 Sebastian Lang (Ger) Silence - Lotto                 10.50
47 Guennadi Mikhailov (Rus) Team Katusha                11.10
48 Stijn Neirynck (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen             11.20
49 Mitchell Docker (Aus) Skil-Shimano                   11.42
50 Alexei Markov (Rus) Team Katusha                     11.50
51 Björn Schröder (Ger) Team Milram                     11.59
52 Rhys Pollock (Aus) Drapac Porsche Cycling            12.04
53 Bram Tankink (Ned) Rabobank                          12.06
54 Stuart Shaw (Aus) Drapac Porsche Cycling             12.12
55 Servais Knaven (Ned) Team Milram                     12.15
56 Mikhail Ignatiev (Rus) Team Katusha                  12.21
57 Johan Van Summeren (Bel) Silence - Lotto             13.42
58 Jürgen Roelandts (Bel) Silence - Lotto               15.03
59 Marcus Burghardt (Ger) Team Columbia-Highroad        15.11
60 Omar Hasanin (Syr) Doha Team                         15.25
61 Cycril Lemoine (Fra) Skil-Shimano                    15.34
62 Roy Sentjens (Bel) Silence - Lotto                   15.44
63 Mauro Da Dalto (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.                 15.46
64 Hans Dekkers (Ned) Garmin - Slipstream               16.21
65 Marcin Sapa (Pol) Lampre - N.G.C.                    16.33
66 Sébastien Rosseler (Bel) Quick Step                  17.25
67 Tom Stamsnijder (Ned) Rabobank                       17.28
68 Alexander Serov (Rus) Team Katusha                   18.10
69 Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale                 18.18
70 Martijn Maaskant (Ned) Garmin - Slipstream           19.11
71 Aymen Ben Hassine (Tun) Doha Team                    19.33
72 Bert Grabsch (Ger) Team Columbia-Highroad            21.04
73 José Luis Arrieta Lujambio (Spa) AG2R La Mondiale    21.09
74 Claudio Corioni (Ita) Liquigas                       22.25
75 Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Liquigas                         22.39
76 Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Liquigas
77 Blel Kadri (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale                    22.42
78 William Frischkorn (USA) Garmin - Slipstream         22.59
79 Mickaël Damiens (Fra) Meitan Hompo - GDR             23.04
80 Kristof Vandewalle (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen         23.08
81 Kevin Van Impe (Bel) Quick Step                      23.10
82 Daniele Righi (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.                  23.16
83 Stéphane Poulhies (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale             23.26
84 Thomas Fothen (Ger) Team Milram                      23.31
85 Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) Rabobank
86 Leif Hoste (Bel) Silence - Lotto                     23.40
87 Antonio Cruz (USA) BMC Racing Team                   23.56
88 Massimiliano Mori (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.              24.08
89 Francesco Chicchi (Ita) Liquigas                     25.40
90 David Deroo (Fra) Skil-Shimano                       25.49
91 Dominik Roels (Ger) Team Milram                      25.53
92 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream            27.13
93 Yuriy Krivtsov (Ukr) AG2R La Mondiale                27.21
94 Niki Terpstra (Ned) Team Milram                      27.26
95 Dean Windsor (Aus) Drapac Porsche Cycling            27.29
96 Frederick Nolf (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen             27.35
97 Florian Stalder (Swi) BMC Racing Team                27.53
98 Chad Beyer (USA) BMC Racing Team                     27.55
99 Sven Renders (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen               30.09
100 Robbie Williams (Aus) Drapac Porsche Cycling        30.57
101 Joseph Lewis (Aus) Drapac Porsche Cycling           30.58
102 Rafaa Chitioui (Tun) Doha Team                      31.02
103 Gatis Smukulis (Lat) AG2R La Mondiale               31.40
104 Joon Yong Seo (Kor) Meitan Hompo - GDR              31.50
105 Maarten Wynants (Bel) Quick Step                    33.22
106 Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Silence - Lotto             34.45
107 Guillaume Pont (Fra) Meitan Hompo - GDR             35.11
108 Miyataka Shimizu (Jpn) Meitan Hompo - GDR
109 Cédric Pineau (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale                36.01
110 Jackson Stewart (USA) BMC Racing Team               36.11
111 Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team
112 Maarten Neyens (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen            36.15
113 Kazuya Okazaki (Jpn) Meitan Hompo - GDR             36.22
114 Farid Belhani (Alg) Doha Team                       36.34
115 Ricardo Van Der Velde (Ned) Garmin - Slipstream     36.49
116 Frantisek Rabon (Cze) Team Columbia-Highroad        36.52
117 Ben Swift (GBr) Team Katusha                        37.07
118 Stijn Joseph (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen              37.31
119 Kilian Patour (Fra) Garmin - Slipstream             40.31
120 Gianni Da Ros (Ita) Liquigas                        40.35
121 Simon Spilak (Slo) Lampre - N.G.C.                  40.41
122 Daniel Braunsteins (Aus) Drapac Porsche Cycling     40.47
123 Peter Mc Donald (Aus) Drapac Porsche Cycling
124 Abdelbaset Hannachi (Alg) Doha Team                 40.48
125 Taylor Tolleson (USA) BMC Racing Team               40.49
126 Badr Banihammad (UAE) Doha Team                     40.51
127 Moosa Said (Qat) Doha Team                          40.53
128 Masaaki Kikuchi (Jpn) Meitan Hompo - GDR            41.00
129 Yasuharu Nakajima (Jpn) Meitan Hompo - GDR
130 Ashley Humbert (Aus) Drapac Porsche Cycling         41.07
131 Tareq Esmaeili (Qat) Doha Team                      41.12
132 Bart Dockx (Bel) Silence - Lotto                    41.52