Niki Terpstra coined the above in a pre-race interview ahead of stage six, but even the most pessimistic of fans must have known Terpstra’s victory was as good as sealed. Crosswinds wreaked havoc early in the race – indeed Terpstra’s stage victory came thanks to the team’s clever management of the echelons – but the circuitous finale in Doha never appeared more than a procession, certainly not as far as the overall classification went. On the nation’s traditional day off, and being held in the capital, it attracted a modest crowd – comfortably the biggest of the week – but if they were hoping for drama it was in distinctly short supply until the final bunch sprint.

We have mentioned before about the placement of the time trial in the pan-flat Tours of Dubai and Qatar. Had ASO put the time trial last, there would still have been all to ride for – and far more nerves when the crosswinds and tailwinds had such an impact on the earlier stages. With a generous crowd, a time trial in the capital city could have been the perfect finale to this race. Terpstra’s assertion that every stage in Qatar is dangerous is correct – but with a 17-second lead to defend and four team-mates well-placed in the top ten just in case, it is unlikely he will have lost any sleep over it.