Giant Alpecin's John Degenkolb has taken over as leader of the Tour Of Duba after victory on stage three.
The Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority Third stage was 205 kilometres long and the stage from DIMC to Hatta Dam featured 1200 metres of climbing as the race went into the desert, the Hajar Mountains and in to Oman.
There were no real breaks until Luka Pibernik of Lampre, Mohammd Al Murawwi of Sky Dive Dubai, Martijn Verschoor of Novodisk, Vladimir Gusev of Sky Dive Dubai and Allesandro Bazzana of United Health Care went away and got 9.09 clear with 115kms left.
The gap came down and going into the final fifty kilometres, Al Murawwi had dropped off the pace, as did Verschoor and the three were 2,46 clear.
Coming out of a tunnel, there was some green carpet covering what appeared to be wiring and this came loose sending a couple of riders in the peloton to the deck and an Etixx rider in Julien Vermote to be hit as another rider crashed into him.
Three became two with only Pibernik and Bazzana left to face forty four kilometres of racing on the front.
They had a lead of 1.38 over a chasing group and 3.05 over the blue jersey group of Mark Cavendish.
Pibernik and Bazzana last another ten kilometres before being caught and with thirty kilometres left, the peloton had fully reunited.
Sky Dive Dubai's Francisco Mancebo attacked and got 1.25 clear before Lars Boom joined him with 7.3kms left.
Mancebo and Boom stayed away for another two kilometres until BMC brought them back.
Etixx came forward as did Giant Alpecin and Astana as the riders headed for the final climb of one kilometre which had an average gradient of 17% at its finish on Hatta Dam.
Under the flam rouge and there were attacks with Visconti trying to have a go as did an Astana rider but Giant Alpecin had brought John Degenkolb up and he took the win in 4.50.41.
Second was Allejandro Valdverde of Movistar, two seconds back with JJ Lobato third, followed by Fillippo Pozzato, Marco Canola, Phillipe Gilbert, Grega Bole and Brent Bookwalter and Team Sky's Geraint Thomas who were seven seconds back.
The time bonuses meant that Degenkolb was in the race lead by four seconds from Mark Cavendish with Valderde third six seconds back, as is team-mate JJ Lobato.