Cavendish continues his winning ways in Qatar

Feb 8, 13. Despite a late breakaway by Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing Team), , Niki Terpstra (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) and Bernhard Eisel (Sky) tried a late breakaway nothing could keep Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) from winning his third straight stage and keeping the lead at the Tour of Qatar.

Phinney made his move just after the final intermediate sprint, 127.5 kilometers into the 154 km race. "The guys wanted to to do sometime because they knew from last year that the circuit was hard there," BMC Racing Team Assistant Director Jackson Stewart said. "Unfortunately, today the wind was lighter." Phinney and Sky Procycling's Bernhard Eisel quickly gained 25 seconds, but with the third rider in the move – Niki Terpstra – being a teammate of Cavendish's, their escape only lasted 10 km.