Tour of Qatar: Hepburn wins the time trial

Australian national time trial champion Michael Hepburn (Orica-GreenEdge) used his time trial skills and an early start to beat the bigger-names on the Tour of Qatar start list for the 10.9km test on the Lusail Moto GP circuit.

Hepburn set a time of 13:28 on the flat course marked by a series of roundabouts and strong desert winds He was one second faster than Lars Boom (Belkin) and six seconds faster than Daniele Bennati (Tinkoff-Saxo). Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing) was fourth, also at six seconds.

Boom went agonisingly close to victory after impressing on stage two with a late attack, while Bennati showed he back to is best after injuries disrupted much of his 2103 season.

Niki Terpstra (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) finished fifth, eight seconds slower but retained the overall race lead for another day. Jurgen Roelandts (Lotto Belisol) is second overall at 21 seconds, with Boom third at 24 seconds. Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) is fourth at 28 seconds and Ian Stannard (Team Sky) is fifth at 35 seconds.

22 year-old Hepburn won the Australian time trial title in January, meaning the Tour of Qatar time trial was his first outing in the green and gold colours. He hopes to secure a place in the Orica-GreenEdge Classics squad and use his power on the cobbles.

"I’m over the moon. I’m two for two in time trials this year, and I got to wear my national colours for the first time today which was a pretty proud moment for me," he said.

"I had a good ride. 11km is a distance that suits me well. I did a couple of training sessions to prepare for this day in particular and I was really happy and satisfied when I crossed the line. Unfortunately I had to wait a couple of hours but in the end it all went well."

Hepburn started early due to his low overall standing. Setting the fastest time left him suffering in the virtual hot seat.

"For the first hour or so, I wasn’t too nervous because there were so many big names to come after me. It wasn’t until I knew I had a chance of winning that the nerves picked up, especially in the last few minutes with Terpstra and Boom coming in," he said.

Terpstra extends his overall lead

Terpstra was also smiling after his ride. The Dutchman extended his overall race lead and now sits on a 21-second cushion. Arguably his biggest threat is his own teammate Tom Boonen, who could win other stages and so take valuable time-bonuses.

"Time trials always hurt because you're fighting time and pain. It's never easy but I felt I could put some power on the pedals," Terpstra said after collecting another golden leader's jersey.

"You never know how you've done till the result. The classement is good and I'm still the leader. Now we'll see what happens in the other stages. The wind is the biggest problem. I have to stay awake all day with my teammates, so as not to miss a group. I have to stay in the front group and always defend the jersey."

This year's Tour of Qatar has been blasted by desert winds and further attacks and echelons are expected during Wednesday's fourth stage.

The 135km route from Dukhan on the west of the peninsular to Mesaieed on the east zigzags across the desert. Weather forecasts suggest the wind will blow from the northwest, causing tail and side winds throughout the stage.

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