His victory in the Australian national time trial championships was considered a shock in his home country but Michael Hepburn proved it was no fluke by seeing off a much stronger field on his first outing in the green and gold stripes. Although his rivals can point to his early start time playing to his advantage, with the winds whipping up later in the race, the 22-year-old still produced a stunning ride to set his unbeatable mark.

And with the Olympic team pursuit silver medallist seemingly focussed on the road now, what next for the rising star? He has proved his individual ability with victory here, having previously helped Orica-GreenEDGE to second in the world team time trial in Florence. Now, the question remains whether Hepburn can produce on the bigger stage in an individual capacity. It is far too early to make a judgement, but he has already ensured he has lived up to his new jersey here in Qatar. A few more performances like this and people will start to take notice.