Cavendish has struggled so far this season

Mark Cavendish recovered from his crash in the Tour of Qatar prologue to complete the 145.5km first stage.

The 25-year-old HTC-Highroad sprinter had cut and bruised his face after his front wheel collapsed as he bunny-hopped over a speed hump on Sunday.

Quick Step's Tom Boonen of Belgium claimed Monday's stage win and holds a four-second overall lead over HTC's Australian rider Mark Renshaw.

Swiss Fabian Cancellara, second in the prologue, is third overall.

Jeremy Hunt, riding for Team Sky, is ninth while fellow Briton Roger Hammond is 13th.

Cavendish finished more than 12 minutes behind Boonen on Monday.

The five-stage 714km race finishes at the Doha Corniche on Friday.

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