Sealine Beach is a resort just outside of Mesaieed. Last year the opening-stage was in reverse, starting in Sealine Beach and finishing in Dukhan Beach. Niki Terpstra outsprinted his fellow-escapees Jürgen Roelandts, Michael Schär and Martin Elmiger and took the stage. The rest of the week the Dutchman was wearing the leaders jersey and he won the overall with a 17 seconds lead over his teammate Tom Boonen and 20 seconds over Roelandts.
Today the riders cross the peninsula in (south)westerly direction. Two intermediate sprints bring 3, 2 and 1 seconds, while on the line the winner takes 10 bonus-seconds, number two 6 seconds and the third 4 seconds.
The finish is expected around 16:30 local time.
Tour of Qatar 2015 stage 1: Images and more
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