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Belgian Tom Boonen won the Tour of Qatar following Briton Mark Cavendish's success in the sixth and final stage.

This was Quick Step rider Boonen's third win in the desert race after successes in 2005 and 2008.

But the Belgian star cut a subdued figure after his victory which came 24 hours after his 21-year-old compatriot Frederick Nolf was found dead in his hotel bed.

"I didn't have the heart to race today," said Boonen.

"Fred was with us throughout the day. It was a different kind of day, from breakfast this morning the atmosphere has been very heavy."

Boonen was speaking as the body of Nolf was being repatriated to Belgium for an autopsy.

Nolf was found dead by his Topsport teammate Kristof Goddaert in their 14th floor shared room at the Ritz-Carlton before Thursday's fifth stage.

Throughout Friday's final day Boonen was content to sit on his 10sec lead in the overall standings, electing not to join battle in a sprint launched by Italian Danilo Napolitano 1500m from the finish.

Sprint specialist Cavendish ultimately prevailed by two bike lengths from Germany's Robert Forster.

Cavendish commented: "Two (stage) wins, my performance is mainly good. This Tour of Qatar has proved an enriching experience and important for my confidence because I've beaten top class sprinters here."

Cavendish's next stop is the Tour of California where he will clash again with Boonen who insisted Friday that the British rider was not unbeatable in a sprint "as long as you don't make a single mistake".

STAGE FIVE

The fifth stage of the Tour of Qatar was cancelled after the tragic death of Belgian rider Frederiek Nolf.

Instead, the peloton gathered to ride the 40 km route from Doha's Camel Track to the finish at Qatar Foundation building as a sign of respect.

An impromptu minute's silence was held at the start before the riders, wearing black armbands, headed off and officials handed out a statement confirming Nolf's death. Nolf's team did not take part in the cortege.

The Tour of Qatar finishes on Friday.

STAGE FOUR

Britain's Mark Cavendish claimed victory in the fourth stage of the Tour of Qatar in Madinat al Shamal.

Cavendish outsprinted race leader Tom Boonen to take the 141km stage and secure his first win of the 2009 season.

The Colombia rider battled strong winds, plentiful crashes and a fast pace, and looked to have fallen out of contention in the closing stages before fighting back for the victory.

The Tour continues with the 147km stage starting from the Camel Race Track on Thursday.

STAGE THREE

Tom Boonen won the third stage of the Tour of Qatar and took the overall lead away from Britain's Roger Hammond in the process.

The Quick Step rider jumped off the back of Hammond's wheel in the final few metres before racing away with the victory ahead of Italy's Danilo Napolitano who was a bike length back.

British sprint superstar Mark Cavendish once again failed to make an impact.

The Belgian now holds a six second lead over Hammond in the overall standings after the 137.5km trek from Al Zubarah to Doha Golf Club.

The victory capped a good day for Boonen who earlier learned that he would not face trial in his native Belgium for testing positive for cocaine last May.

Boonen is gunning for his third Tour of Qatar title after having won the race last year and also in 2006.

The Tour of Qatar takes part over six stages with a total of 685 kilometres being ridden by the riders.

It concludes on Friday at Doha Corniche where the race began last Sunday.

STAGE TWO

A perfectly timed late break from Britain's Roger Hammond saw him take the second stage of the Tour of Qatar and the yellow jersey away from countryman Bradley Wiggins.

Conditions were tough on the 134km stage from Khalifa Stadium to Al Khor Corniche with strong winds breaking up the peloton.

However, Hammond's Cervelo Test Team were prominent throughout the stage which allowed Hammond to spring an attack with 2.8km to go all the way to the line.

The veteran now holds a six second lead over last year's winner Tom Boonen in the overall standings.

"It wasn't really a sprint it was a war of attrition out there with riders dropping all day," said Hammond after the stage.

"I didn't really win this race today, it was my team who won it."

STAGE ONE

Garmin Slipstream won the opening time trial in the Tour of Qatar, handing Britain's Bradley Wiggins the yellow jersey.

The triple gold medallist crossed the line in six minutes and 34 seconds following a 6km circuit of Doha.

"As a team we've put in long hours in pre-season training and it is good to see all of that effort paying off," said Wiggins.

Belgian Tom Boonen, who won the race in 2006 and has 14 stage wins in the event, lies just one second back after a strong showing from his Quick Step team.

Mark Cavendish's Columbia-High Road squad finished five seconds back but the Manxman will be hoping for a victory with all five stages to follow in the race suited to the sprinters.

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AFP / Reuters