Lutz looking for more

By Susan Westemeyer in Nürnberg, Germany

Eva Lutz won the second stage of the inaugural Tour of Qatar this year, breaking a dry spell going back to 2005. The personable 29-year-old is eager to ride the race again next year.

"The landscape was dull, but not the race," she said. "I want to go back." The hotel great and the whole logistics were still in place from the men's race.

One thing that was lacking was spectators. There were very few of them, Lutz said, and almost all male. "We barely saw any women at all, and if so only when they were accompanied by a man."

Besides her official prize for winning the stage, Lutz received a special present from Directeur Sportif Jochen Dornbusch. "Jochen promised me a camel if I won," she said. "The next morning at breakfast he presented me with a small wooden camel."

Her next goal is the German Championships, but "It doesn't have to be me, it just has to be one of us. I think a sprinter will win." Until then, she will "continue to train and work hard and hope that it works out well on the international level, otherwise I will just help the team like always."