Peter Sagan has retained his UCI World Road Champion title.
This year's race was over 257.5kms in Doha in warm temperatures and saw Ramirez (Col), Dougall (South Africa), Berhane (Eri), Roth (Can), Ait El Abdia (Morocco), Lagkuti (Ukraine) and Corella (Mex), allowed to get 11.24 clear of the rest of the 199 riders.
Their lead lasted until there was 145kms left and a new group which saw Mark Cavendish and Adam Blythe of Britain plus Tom Boonen, 2015 World Champion Pete Sagan, Alexander Kristoff, Michael Matthews, Greg Van Avermaet, Elia Viviani, Giacomo Nizzolo, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Bennati, Matt Hayman, NIKI Terpstra, Leezer, Guarnieri, Petit, Keukeleire, Oliver Naesen, Jurgen Roelandts and Stuyven, form a new lead group.
With 51kms, their lead stood at 2.06 with the Belgium team doing plenty of work on the front as Marcel Kittel abandoned.
The gap went out to 3.19 as three Belgians, a Norwegian and an Italian controlled the break which was with out Jens Keukeleire with two laps left.
Onto the final lap of fifteen kilometres and it was clear that the world champion was going to come from this group as the peloton which included the likes of Andre Greipel were 3.43 back.
Niki Terpstra and then Greg Van Avermaet put in an attack with 5.2kms left but it was soon checked by the rest of the riders including Blythe who was protecting Mark Cavendish.
Netherlands rider Tom Leezer was next to attack with 2.2kms nd he opened up a bit of a gap and went under the flam rouge clear.
Roelandt's led the chase and Leezer was caught and the sprint was on. Up came Peter Sagan and the Slovakian retained his title by taking the win in 5.40.43 just pipping Mark Cavendish, who went left and got slightly held up by Matthews when Sagan went right. Tom Boonen was third with Britain's Adam Blythe finished 12th of 53 finishers.
Sagan said: "I don't believe it. "I am still in shock I am very very happy. I felt like I had to go a little bit back and Nizzolo did not close me so I did not have to brake and I could go.
"Thanks to the support from Slovakia and my family and Michael Koler and my brother who worked for me. I had to win today."
