The Tour of Qatar was an annual professional cycling stage race held in Qatar. First organized in 2002, the event was part of the UCI Asia Tour until 2016. The 2017 edition was to have seen the event upgraded to the UCI World Tour for the first time, but it was cancelled due to lack of sponsorship support.
Tom Boonen (pictured at the 2012 Tour of Qatar) holds a record 4 overall wins and 22 stage wins.
Eddy Merckx presenting Ellen van Dijk with the gold leader's jersey after the first stage of the 2015 Ladies Tour of Qatar.
Tom Boonen is a Belgian former road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional between 2002 and 2017 for the U.S. Postal Service and Quick-Step Floors teams and a professional racing driver who currently competes in Belcar, having previously competed in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. Boonen won the 2005 UCI World Road Race Championships, and was a single-day road specialist with a strong finishing sprint. He won the cycling monuments Paris–Roubaix 4 times and the Tour of Flanders 3 times, among many other prestigious victories, such as prevailing 5 times in the E3 Harelbeke, winning 6 stages of the Tour de France and winning the Overall title of the Tour of Qatar 4 times.
Boonen at the 2015 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
Boonen wearing the Green Jersey at the 2005 Tour de France
Boonen signing in at Tarbes during the 2006 Tour de France
Boonen at the 2008 Paris–Roubaix