The UCI Road World Championships Doha 2016 will reach its climax today afternoon with the 257.3 km men’s elite road race, that will kick-start from Aspire Zone and finish at The Pearl-Qatar.  The world’s best cyclists will face each other in a flat course where crosswinds promise to be a key factor. After the start at Aspire, the riders will head north to the towns of Lusail and Al Khor before completing seven laps of the Pearl-Qatar’where the race finishes.
The riding profile of the favourites depends on which city is the host and what type of course it offers. Sometimes it’s about climbing. In other cases, punchy riders capable of sharp uphill efforts are the main contenders.
Two years ago in Ponferrada, Spain everything was decided in a breath-taking descent. In Doha, the flat terrain means that it will all probably come down to a thrilling mass sprint and presumably to echelons, which is one of the most difficult and beautiful strategies in cycling.
Peter Sagan is arguably the biggest star in pro cycling. He has all the traits that distinguish a true champion, from the physical gifts to the winning mind-set . His won the UCI Road World Championships sooner in Richmond 2015 thanks to a savvy, powerful solo attack in the last few kilometres. The Slovakian rider will be aiming for victory in Doha, where he will have to take advantage of his tactical skills and his fast sprint to successfully defend his rainbow jersey.
Those who stood on the podium with him in Richmond, Australia’s Michael Matthews and Lithuania’s Ram?nas Navardauskas, will also contend with the biggest target in mind. Every sprinter knows Doha is a precious chance to become a World Champion. Thus, all of them are bidding strongly for victory in this race.
The No. 1 contender, because of his expertise at riding in Qatar, is Tom Boonen. The Belgian has won the Tour of Qatar four times and has been stating his desire to win a second rainbow jersey in Doha for years.
But it won’t come easy for ‘Tommeke’. Great Britain’s Mark Cavendish, arguably the best sprinter in the world who dominated the bunch finishes in the last Tour de France, is also a serious challenger.
So is Andre Greipel, a cyclist who has been up there, winning in every major race, and who will probably share his captaincy in the German team with two other fast men: Marcel Kittel and John Degenkolb.
Two countries are capable of presenting double threats if it comes down to a sprint. France has Arnaud Demare and Nacer Bouhanni, whose rivalry has been one of the most interesting topics in pro cycling over the last years.  Italy will line up both Track Olympic Champion Elia Viviani and national champion Giacomo Nizzolo. Two young guns are the main outsiders: Australia’s Caleb Ewan, also known as “The Pocket Rocket”, and Colombia’s Fernando Gaviria.
In the race, a late attack could also be successful. If so, one will probably see Niki Terpstra up front. The Dutch showed strong legs at the Eneco Tour, the main warm-up race before Doha Worlds. Also, Belgium’s Greg Van Avermaet, Olympic Champion in the Road Race, will probably be involved in the exciting move targeting victory in the world’s supreme cycling race.
Being parallel to the coast, the initial 150 kilometres of this road race are bound to echelons. If the wind blows, the race will probably blow too – for good.
After that, those who reach The Pearl at the head of the race, will have seven laps in the 15-kilometre circuit to try and settle their tactics for an exciting sprint where the most skilled, smartest and fastest rider with get away with a victory and a rainbow jersey.