Heat (34 °), wind. The riders of the Tour of Qatar have had everything and again they rode at a supersonic pace, offering a breathless race from start to finish. Irresistible Norwegian Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) won for the third time and Arnaud Démare took eighth.

"This stage to Madinat al-Shamal is always busy," FDJ sports director Martial Gayant said. "The section from the fictional to the actual start gave us an indication of what would be the race as they already ravelled at 60km/h and fought a lot for position. At kilometer 0, they opened the gas and didn't stop for 80km. There were echelons. Arnaud found himself in the third group and was with William Bonnet and Mickael Delage who were victims of punctures. They have not give n up and everything came back together. Once they were, our leader felt better. Despite the fast pace (over 50 km/h) he hadgood legs ... "

A new split happened with 7km to go when Katusha created a 10-rider front group. In the end, the group of the yellow jersey Niki Terpstra, Demare, Mickael Delage and Yoann Offredo made the junction just over a kilometer from the finish.

"The sprint was done at a fast pace and Arnaud took eighth place but he was satisfied with his day and the work of his teammates," said Gayant. "Tomorrow it is the last stage with the finish on the Corniche in Doha. Arnaud likes it because he has won there twice. And in this team, we say that things come in threes!"