To put an individual time trial in the middle of a flat stage race, as we have discussed before, risks ruining the race as a spectacle in the later stages. Qatar’s topography does not allow for an Alpe d’Huez or Col du Tourmalet for organisers ASO to spice up the race, much as Dubai lacked a Passo Giau for RCS Sport. So when Niki Terpstra stretched his overall lead on stage three, it seemed Qatar had little more to offer.
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So along came mother nature, whipped up a huge tailwind, and sent a severely splintered peloton scampering along at a phenomenal speed. Any mistake, or ill-timed mechanical, was to prove costly as Lars Boom (Belkin) was to find after puncturing in the final kilometres, while Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing) suffered a similar fate further back.
To the credit of Terpstra, and Omega Pharma-Quickstep, however, even at such ferocious speeds – the race finished with an average touching 57km/h – the Belgian super team remained in apparently complete control of every situation. It will take more than a gale to disrupt their seemingly unstoppable charge for a third straight Tour of Qatar win, but at least it was something a bit different.