This was the start of the men's team time trial at the World Road Championships in Doha. They needn't have bothered with the crowd control barriers.
We're used to bringing you stories from time to time about mountain passes so packed with spectators the crowds are a danger to the riders.
And so bad has that problem become on many of the larger races that army personnel have been dispatched to support the local police in keeping fans back off the road to let the riders pass.
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But at the World Road Championships opening event in Doha, Qatar, today there was no need for any of that.
There were simply no crowds at all and no fans even dotted about the place, despite the presence of some of the biggest teams in the world taking part.
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Take a look at this collection of shots by Sirotti and Sean Rowe capturing the scene at different parts of the course.
It's simply incredible that a Worlds could spark so little interest in the host nation.
And if cycling fans have arrived from other countries, they must have been trapped at some of the road blocks being complained about on social media.
This has to go down as the worst support Worlds event we have ever see; let's hope it picks up for the individual TTs and the road races.
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