Mark Cavendish was pipped to World Championship gold by reigning champion Peter Sagan, who guaranteed himself another year in the rainbow jersey by sprinting to victory from an elite front group.
The race split up in the desert winds before reaching the Pearl-Qatar finishing circuit, as many had hoped, with Cavendish getting in the front split with team-mate Adam Blythe for support.
But when it came to the final sprint, Cavendish sprinted on the busier left-hand side of the road while Sagan kicked on the right and, with open road before him, stormed to his second consecutive world title.