Hello and welcome to live coverage of the World Championships men's road race from Doha. A 257.5km ride that starts with an out-and-back loop up the coast and into the desert, followed by seven laps of a 15.2km circuit around the Pearl, Qatar.

The leaders have made the first 90-degree turn and are on the short most northerly section of the outward loop before the race heads back to Doha. It's here where there will be some crosswinds before the long drag back to the Pearl, which will largely be a tailwind. So expect some action soon. The gap is down to 8:15.

Tom Boonen (Belgium, 35, **) No-one in history has more wins on Qatari soil (or should that be sand?) than the bald Belgian, who has struck gold on 22 occasions in the Tour of Qatar. History counts for nothing, mind, and Boonen is no longer the explosive sprinter he once was so he'll need to play his cards right. Victories have been few and far between this season – although recent scalps in RideLondon and Paris-Brussels bode well, and a full nine-man team will also be a boon for Boonen.

Close shave: a swirling vortex of sand just crosses the road in front of the peloton. Had they been 20 seconds faster it would have pulverised the peloton. Big shame - that would have spiced things up a little.

That man Ewan has dropped back to his Aussie team car to pick up a fresh camelbak full of water. They used to be banned - primarily because of the aerodynamic advantage they give riders - but have been allowed in Qatar, probably because of the searing heat. Mark Renshaw also gets a fresh water bag.

Caleb Ewan (Australia, 22, **) Could this be Australia's best chance at having a first world champion since Cadel Evans in 2011? Since Mendrisio we've witnessed silver medals for Matt Goss, Simon Gerrans and Michael Matthews – but Ewan is perhaps the best equipped to go one better in Doha. Just five wins this season – most recently on The Mall in the Tour of Britain – masks the fact that, on his day, Ewan can match the fastest men in the peloton. If age and staying power over 250+ kilometres act against the pocket-rocket from Sydney, then Matthews is an able deputy in a strong Australian team that also includes Adam Hansen, Heinrich Haussler, Mark Renshaw and Mathew Hayman.

Before our run-through of the favourites, a quick update on the race - all in a tweet...

There's been a crash as Chad Haga goes down for the USA. A Canadian man is down too, but it's no biggie and they're both back and on their way. A sign of how things are getting a bit more nervous out there, mind. A reminder of the seven leaders: Ramirez (Col), Dougall (South Africa), Berhane (Eri), Roth (Can), Ait El Abdia (Morocco), Lagkuti (Ukraine) and Corella (Mex). Now let's take a look at some of the favourites for the win - giving them a star rating out of five.

The road surface is pretty coarse at the moment with numerous grooves forcing everyone onto the left-hand side. The gap has stabilised at 9:15 and once they make that turn in about 20km that's when we can expect the wind to cause some chaos because it's going to be a side-tailwind. Italy, Belgium and Australia have come forward to make their presence known.

The advantage of the seven leaders - which hit a maximum of almost 12 minutes - is now down to 9:20. Peter Sagan is showing off his bike handling skills as he rides back into the peloton after a mechanical. He's such a star that a mechanic from the South African team car is taking a photo of him through the rear screen of a support car. We're into the desert now and it's pretty grim: basically a big building site and sandy wasteland.

It's Steve Cummings who sets the tempo for Great Britain on the front. The Dimension Data rider is an integral cog in a GB team that has his trade team-mate Mark Cavendish as their prized asset. Also in the team are Sky riders Luke Rowe, Ian Stannard, Ben Swift and Geraint Thomas, Bora-Argon18's Scott Thwaites, Orica-GreenEdge's Adam Blythe and Fortuneo-Vital Concept's Dan McClay. Interestingly, Belarus veteran Kanstantin Siutsou is working for Great Britain too. That's because he's a Dimension Data team-mate of Cavendish and Cummings, plus he's a former Sky man, so the connections are there. Should Cav be in the rainbow stripes next season, that would be a real boon for the Dimension Data team. These little alliances often play out in the world championships and Olympics.

Here's a map of today's route. No need for a profile because it's just like this: [__________]

The wind has already got quite blustery, apparently. Team GB are on the front at the moment while their man Dan McClay rides back after his puncture. The gap is up to 11:20 for the seven leaders.

Front wheel change for Matt Brammeier. He's one of three Irish riders in the peloton alongside Ryan Mullen and the sprinter Sam Bennett, who could be one to watch in the finale - although there are so many faster men out there, and ones with stronger teams. There's also a front wheel puncture for Dan McClay of Great Britain, who could be a strong foil for Mark Cavendish today.

Peter Sagan is the reigning world champion - but for how much longer? Perhaps just six hours. He's not one of the favourites today - but that's just how he likes it. The long-haired tyro is just one of three Slovakian riders in the peloton so if he wins, he'll have to do it his way - or rely on an alliance with some of his trade team-mates. Sagan is currently riding alongside the other two Slovaks: Michal Kolar and his own older brother, Juraj. Sagan, of course, won the green jersey for a fifth successive year in the Tour de France - and he ended the season as the topped ranked rider in the WorldTour ahead of Chris Froome and Alejandro Valverde - neither of whom are here today.

That's about as big a climb as we will get today as the road rises around 10 metres to cross another road. That aside, it's going to be pan-flat all the way. The gap is now almost 10 minutes so there's no huge interest in keeping them at bay. There's certainly a convivial atmosphere in the peloton at the moment as they chat among themselves and keep hydrated. Camelbaks are the order of the day too - lots of riders have water bags stuffed down the back of their jerseys and a nozzle to drink from.

The gap has ballooned to six minutes now. Those seven leaders are: Brayan Ramirez (Colombia), Nick Dougall (South Africa), Natnael Berhane (Eritrea), Ryan Roth (Canada), Anas Ait El Abdia (Morocco), Sergiy Lagkuti (Ukraine) and Rene Corella (Mex)

WEATHER FORECAST: There's much more wind than during yesterday's women's road race - and it could be a real factor in this loop out into the desert. Expect echelons to form and this pack to split into a few groups before those loops at the Pearl in Qatar. The heat, of course, will be the main factor today - as it has been every day during these world championshops. It's currently 34C in Doha with that set to increase as the day wears on.

We now have seven riders clear with a gap of 1:30 over the peloton, who are taking things easy. Numerous riders are answering a call of nature, others - like Greg van Avermaet - are picking up water bottles, and many are just soft-pedalling in the heat.

Teklehaimanot is not taking no for an answer: the Eritrean has edged clear again - this time with four or five riders. Once again, it comes to nothing.

Early attack from Daniel Teklehaimanot of Eritrea! His move comes to nothing, mind. Except the prestige of being the first to zip clear in this, the Aspire Zone of Doha.

After a very long neutral zone which took the best part of half an hour, Brian Cookson, the UCI President, waves the flag - a la Christian Prudhomme in the Tour - and finally gets this race under way.