Sunny weather. Slight wind, favorable at the start.
112 riders. Forfeit : De Weert (RAB).

Attack from the very start
The real start of the last stage is given at 12.26 PM. The Lampre riders immediately take the control in the race. They lead the bunch. Ten riders try to break. The bunch breaks into three parts : 11 riders in the lead : Sandstod (CSC), Michaelsen (CSC), Da Cruz (FDJ), Rund (COA), Cretskens (QSD), Knaven (QSD), Jalabert (CSC), Svorada (LAM), Verbrugghe (LOT), Apollonio (SID) and the wearer of the golden jersey, Loddo (LAM). Panic in the bunch that explodes in different groups.

27 riders in the lead
16 riders bridge the gap with the 11 breakers : Calcagni (SID), Vanlandshoot (VLA), Adamsson (COA), Hoste (LOT), Van Bon (LOT), Pradera (ONE), Nazon (BLB), Van Hyfte (CSC), Chavanel (BLB), Strazzer (PHO), Bertolini (PHO), Pollack (GST), Clerc (QSD), Lang (GST), Guesdon (FDJ) and Dean (CSC). 22 riders make part of the second group. Between them : blue jersey Bonomi (SAE) and silver jersey Van Dijk. The gap between the two groups keeps increasing. In Al Wakra Dean wins the first intermediate sprint ahead of Loddo and Pollack. In the feeding zone the second group stops his effort. As a consequence the gap reaches 9’20’’ at the second intermediate sprint.

Van Hyfte’ show
The CSC riders lead the bunch at 1000 m from the second intermediate sprint. But Loddo is the best on the line ahead of Nazon. Clerc is the third. Many riders try to break in the lead : Hoste, Van Hyfte, Michaelsen, Verbrugghe and Apollonio, but the leader’s team-mates don’t let them go. The 27 riders are close to the local lap. Van Hyfte breaks but Loddo and his team-mates react again immediately. Van Hyfte tries one more time. Verbrugghe does the same a little later, but no way !

Loddo the best
At 5 km from the finish, seven riders break : Knaven, Verbrugghe, Michaelsen, Svorada, Pollack, Calcagni and Bertolini. Knaven attacks alone and wins the stage ahead of Pollack and Michaelsen. Loddo wins the second edition of the Tour of Qatar ahead of Pollack and Svorada. The Lampre rider wins the points classification as well as the one of the best young rider. Danish team CSC wins the team classification.

Three questions to Sheik Khalid Ben Ali Al-Thani
(President of the Qatar Cycling Federation)

Q : When did you for the first time have the idea to organize a Tour of Qatar ?
A : When we knew we had to organize the Asian Games in 2006 we were told we had to take part in all the disciplines. Cycling is an important Olympic discipline so we decided to organize a cycling race in our country. We thought we had to make our compatriots discover that sport. The best way was to ask some big champions to come and compete in our country.

Q : That is the reason why you contacted Eddy Merckx and Amaury Sport Organisation ?
A : In a first time we contact Eddy Merckx. We invited him to come and visit us. We wanted him to see what it was possible to do in Qatar. We wanted to show him our roads as well as our structures. He told us we had interesting possibilities. The Tour of Qatar was born. After that Eddy Merckx himself contacted his friends from ASO.

Q : What conclusions do you draw after a two years experience ?
A : I am very happy because the second edition is still more successful than the first one. We worried about the number of spectators and we are very satisfied because they were many more than last year. That is a very important point for our race. I think we will improve every year. The people along the road were very happy to see so many people passing in the middle of the desert. They were happy to admire those wonderful bikes. Everybody was very enthusiastic. The Tour of Qatar will really become one of the first big event of the cycling season because it is not a too difficult race to begin the year.