The Norwegian rider, who celebrates his 35th birthday tomorrow, played his part in the opening team time trial victory yesterday but he failed to even start today's second stage after a fall in the neutralised section.

Arvesen said: "It was really an absurd kind of accident because it happened before the race proper had started.

"We were basically just getting ready to start racing when I let a guy go past me but it then got a bit narrow and I lost control of the bike and crashed to the ground.

"It's really unfortunate to break your collarbone at any time but especially now as I was just getting ready to start my year."

There was further bad news for David Brailsford's team when Edvald Boasson Hagen, who held the overall lead coming into today's stage, suffered a puncture with more than 40 kilometres of the run from Camel Race Track to Qatar Foundation remaining and could only come home in 61st place.

Holland's Wouter Mol is the new leader after he and Belgium's Geert Steurs made the most of an early breakaway that saw them establish a 12-minute lead over the peloton.

Steurs eventually took the stage honours on the run to the finish but he trails Vacansoleil rider Mol by nine seconds overall.


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