The West Bay Lagoon Plaza looks a bit different as the race pedals by...take a closer look?
The race begins, and so does the wind start blowing...
QATARWIND
A specialized squad is hard at work cleaning the windows..!
There's no letting up as the pace goes higher and higher and the gaps grow wider and wider...
The race is almost reaching speeds of 80-kilometres-per-hour down the highway to Mesaieed to start two circuits in the Qatari desert...
Stuart O'Grady makes a hasty wheel change with a Mavic mechanic - he's lost his place in the two front groups...
QATARLEOPARDMAVICMECHANIC
The race settles down as it turns into a violent headwind - time for riders like Andrew Fenn and Russell Downing to escape...
QATARSKY
The hostilities commence again as the race turns right and gains a following wind again - the escape has a 12-minute lead though..!
Daniel Lloyd has fallen off the road and looks cut and bruised by the sand and stones...
QATARGARMININJURY
Strong men like Bradley Wiggins and Juan Antonio Flecha lead a new front group of about 30 riders...
QATARSKYWIGGINS
Mark Cavendish is working for Mark Renshaw today - they are in a chasing group 45-seconds back...
QATARRENSHAW
Incredibly, Fabian Cancellara is in a third group even further back - he'll end the day 35-minutes down..!
QATARLEOPARD
Heinrich Haussler is in good Garmin company at the front - can he take the race-lead today..?
QATARGARMIN
Stuart O'Grady is one of three leopard-Trek riders in the front - he's looking after sprinter Daniele Bennati...
The two front groups emerge in the desert in time to create a fascinating sillhouette...
The original escape has been joined by riders like Simon Clarke, Davide Vigano, Filippo Pozzato and Marco Kump - but they won't get much further away...
QATARESCAPEASTANA
Lars Boom, Flecha, Steegmans, Hammond and Cavendish have broken away from the main group - and Tom Boonen has had a flat tire..!
QATARWINDS
Boonen is working hard to minimise the gap, but it grows to one minute and beyond - the race-leader is no longer the leader...
QATARQUICKSTEP
Cavendish is enjoying his day at the front now, but he'll lose contact towards the finish and deny some lead-out help for Renshaw...
QATARHTCWIND
Heinrich Haussler wins stage three ahead of Renshaw and Bennati...
Heinrich Haussler is now the race-leader of the Tour of Qatar..!