Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) won Stage 2 of the Tour of Qatar following another windswept day in the Gulf.

The 27-year-old was part of a front group of 15 riders after the peloton was once again split.

Andrea Guardini (Astana) and Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) finished second and third respectively.

Kristoff also moves into the overall lead, with Stage 1 winner Juan José Lobato (Movistar) among those caught out by the conditions. Tom Boonen (Etixx-QuickStep) looked set to take the leader's jersey, but his failure to pick up bonus seconds at the finish cost him dear.

The 194 kilometre stage saw an extremely fast start, and it was no surprise when cracks began to appear in the bunch.

Etixx-QuickStep continued to force the issue on the front, forcing more splits in the field. Rojas, Bradley Wiggins (Sky) and Lars Boom (Astana) were among those caught out as the Belgian team attempted to help Boonen to the top of the general classification.

Around halfway through the stage, Van Avermaet led a four-man group off the front which gained almost a minute on the peloton. However, the quartet were unable to hold off the charge from the reduced field, and they were swept up after around 20 kilometres out in front.

By the time the run-in to the finish came about, the front group had been reduced to a mere 15 riders, with Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano), Arnaud Démare (FDJ) and Fabian Cancellara (Trek) among the big names unable to handle the high tempo, strong crosswinds and sandstorms.

Niki Terpstra (Etixx-QuickStep) went about setting Boonen up for the final sprint, but as on Stage 1 the Dutchman was outfought by the riders around him.

Kristoff was the only man to judge the tricky final sprint to perfection, and he took the win ahead of Guardini to overtake Lobato at the top of the general classification.

The Tour of Qatar continues on Tuesday with a ten-kilometre individual time trial.

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Jamie Hall
Cycling editor and football writer. Currently studying sports journalism at university.