BMC Racing Team's Greg Van Avermaet finished ninth in Tuesday's time trial at the Tour of Qatar and is in fourth overall with three days of the race to go. 

"It was a good time trial for me," Van Avermaet said. "I am not a specialist. But with the wind and the roundabouts, I tried to take advantage of this and tried to go point-to-point. It was good sign of good form. I am happy with the results."

Niki Terpstra (Etixx-Quick Step) took the win in the 10.9-kilometer race against the clock in 14:03. Van Avermaet was 24 seconds back. In the overall standings, Terpstra becomes the third leader in as many days. Van Avermaet is 19 seconds back and seven seconds behind third-placed Ian Stannard (Team Sky).

"I will try to keep my place," Van Avermaet said. "There are still a few windy days to come, so it could be tricky to lose some places. But you can still win some places. We will see how it goes. I hope to keep my position and maybe try to go for a stage win."