We are now less than a week away from the first WorldTour race of the year, the UAE Tour, and the racing is hotting up across Europe and in the Middle East.

Some riders are still yet to race on the road for their team yet this year, with the likes of Primož Roglič, Wout van Aert and Tadej Pogačar conspicuous by their absence, but some stars have already been out performing in their new kit.

At the Tour of Oman, Jan Hirt of Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert was victorious in the desert, while Nairo Quintana looked like he used to winning the overall at the Tour de la Provence. Meanwhile, there was a slew of Spanish one-day races, including a brand new gravel race, which was all reasonably interesting. Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl predictably kept winning, but there were other interesting stories.

More racing begins tomorrow with the Ruta del Sol and the Volta ao Algarve, but for now here is what we have learned from the latest tranche of stage and one-day events.

The smaller teams are seriously on it this year

This year will see some movement in the WorldTour, with new licences being awarded at the end of the year for 2023-2025. Teams are ranked on the basis of their 10 highest scoring riders at all UCI races, so every event matters.

Based on last year's UCI team rankings, Cofidis and Lotto-Soudal were in the 'drop zone', while Alpecin-Fenix and Arkéa-Samsic were two ProTeams which could be promoted. 

Those latter two already gain access to WorldTour races this year thanks to their ranking, but they might look to gain prowess through a step up. Norwegian team Uno-X have also expressed an interest in a WorldTour slot.

All this means that there is a real battle for UCI points, and a lot of the less successful teams of 2021 are already winning this year. Lotto-Soudal already have five wins, almost half their overall total from last season, while Cofidis, Arkéa, Uno-X and Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert have all been winning races.

Even a race like the Tour of Antalya matters, with Uno-X gaining 125 points for their general classification victory there. Some signings could prove crucial, with Bryan Coquard already winning 77 points for his new Cofidis team through two victories so far. Domenico Pozzovivo signing for Intermarché could be the canny transfer the team needs in order to remain at the top.

We will have to wait and see whether this intense racing for UCI points keeps up throughout the season or dies out - success at the beginning of the season is no guarantee of success throughout the season.

Nairo Quintana has still got it

Nairo Quintana turned 32 earlier this month, but the Colombian won the Tour de la Provence with an effort on the final day that seemed to turn back the years.

It is the second time that Quintana has won the Tour for Arkéa-Samsic, and the French ProTeam will be grateful to have a proven climber like that still on the books. 

On the slopes of the Montagne de Lure he powered away from Julian Alaphilippe of Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, and ended up more than half a minute ahead of his chasers.

It is the highest-ranked race Quintana has won since 2020, and will surely give him a boost of confidence ahead of a crucial year. 2022 is the last year of his contract with Arkéa, and the diminutive Colombian will be hoping to prove that he still means business. Last week he suggested that he could make a return to Movistar.

Mark Cavendish can still challenge and win races

This time last year many were writing Mark Cavendish off, with the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl sprinter not having won a race since 2018. However, four stage wins at the Tour of Turkey in April saw him embark on a remarkable run which led to his astonishing performance at the Tour de France last July.

This year he has got off to a flying start, with second on stage one of the Tour of Oman and first on stage two making it his best opening to a season since 2013, when he won on his opening day.

He might have ended the race in disappointing fashion, with a sixth place finish and falling out of contention for the points jersey, but his win will remind everyone of his prowess. This is particularly important because of his teammate Fabio Jakobsen's form - the Dutchman has won two races so far this year - and his likely selection for the Tour squad.

Cavendish looks likely to head to the Giro d'Italia at the moment, but as long as he keeps challenging, he can keep his Tour dream alive.

Alexey Lutsenko is good at riding on gravel

Alexey Lutsenko triumphed at the inaugural Clásica Jaén Paraiso Interior on Tuesday, with the Kazakh rider mastering the tricky gravel conditions to dominate, finishing almost a minute ahead of second-placed Tim Wellens.

The Astana Qazaqstan rider has form on gravel - he won the first Serenissima Gravel race in Italy late last year - but this was an exhibition from him. He twice forced a decisive split on the off-road sectors, his second with 28km to go the winning move.

While others looked at sea on the rocky gravel of Jaén, Lutsenko looked very much at home. He is not currently down to ride Strade Bianche, possibly to the relief of other riders, but in this form he would surely do damage there.

A new gravel race is born

Sure, it might not have had a particularly exciting finalé, thanks to the efforts of Lutsenko (see above), but the Clásica Jaén Paraiso Interior looks like it could be here to stay as a great race.

While Spain has an abundance of great stage races, from Catalunya to Pais Vasco via the Ruta del Sol, it has lacked great one-day races, apart from San Sebastian. 

This new part-gravel race could be the one to change all that. It is hard, picturesque, and the level can only get better. Strade Bianche has only been around since 2007 and at WorldTour level since 2017, and is already touted as a race ready to be the next Monument, so why not hold a similar race in Spain?

Among the millions of olive trees in this part of Andalusia the race looked great. It could quite quickly become a cult classic like the Breton race Tro-Bro Léon, and will only improve with time.

Ineos Grenadiers can win in more than one way

With the re-signing of Elia Viviani, Ineos Grenadiers showed that they want to win more races, more than their staple fair of GC wins. This might prove wise as the need to diversify away from stage racing increases in the absence of Egan Bernal and if Tadej Pogačar continues to dominate.

Filippo Ganna is good at time trials, we all knew that, but his early-season form might the sign of something new, as he has suggested that he might target some one-day races this season.

Meanwhile, the British squad are heading to the Volta ao Algarve with a team filled with a variety of winners, from Ethan Hayter to Tom Pidcock via Dani Martínez. They might finally be properly breaking out of their boring stage-racing mould of old.

Never give up on the dream of winning

Jan Hirt went 5 years and seven months, 2,048 days, between winning general classification titles (thanks to @ammattipyoraily on Twitter for that). The Czech rider won the Tour of Austria in 2016, and then won the Tour of Oman this week.

Intermarché's Hirt had not won a single race in the years in between, so he must have been relieved to cross the line in the red leader's jersey on the final stage. 

Another rider for the Walloon team, Alexander Kristoff, is much more used to winning, he has done it 82 times in his career so far. However, the pressure was on at his new team after he moved from UAE-Team Emirates, and the Norwegian delivered, winning the Clasica de Almeria. Never write him off. 

Mark Cavendish banged his handlebars in frustration as he crossed the finish line of the final stage of the Tour of Oman in sixth place, after being boxed out in the final sprint. 

Fernando Gaviria of UAE Team Emirates won the final stage, as Jan Hirt of Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert won overall.

The Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl sprinter was boxed out by Gaviria's leadout man Maximiliano Richeze. The Colombian won his second of the Tour, to secure the green points jersey. He finished ahead of Kaden Groves of BikeExchange-Jayco in second, with Arkéa Samsic's Amaury Capiot rounding out the podium.

The sixth and final stage of the Tour of Oman consisted of a 132.5km route from Al Mouj Muscat to Mutrah Cornich, which ended with an inevitable bunch sprint. Cavendish won the Mutrah Corniche stage race in 2011, and was hoping to emulate that performance today. 

Approaching the finish line, Cavendish attempted to find a way through along the barriers in the sprint, when Richeze drifted to the right and ultimately closed the door on the Manxman. 

Crossing the line in sixth, the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider remonstrated with the Argentine while  celebrated winning both the stage and the points classification.

Following his crash yesterday, officials docked the 36-year-old nine points for holding onto a car while returning to the bunch. This left Cavendish trailing Gaviria and Groves by one and two points respectively, meaning the final sprint would decide the standings. The controversial moment, though, scuppered any chances he had of clawing back the deficit to either rider.

"I’m really happy to take the last stage here in Oman. It’s been a good week for me and the team," Gaviria said post-stage.

"I’m happy because my team worked well and stayed focused on winning the stage and we were able to deliver. From the beginning we tried to take control of the race and luckily I had good legs in the finish and could take the sprint."

Meanwhile, Hirt won his first professional race in six years with overall victory, his last coming in the 2016 Tour of Austria where he won both a stage and the general classification.

He entered the final day leading the GC, having comfortably won the fifth stage on Green Mountain to overtake Quick-Step's Fausto Masnada at the top of the rankings. The Czech rider managed to hold on on the final day too, finishing a minute ahead of Masnada in second place, while Rui Costa of UAE-Team Emirates finished third. 

Mark Cavendish was stripped of the points jersey after being docked points and fined by the race jury following stage five of the Tour of Oman.

The Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl sprinter was penalised for the way he returned to the peloton following a crash that left him hurt "quite badly".

The race jury docked him nine points in the points classification, which left Jan Hirt of Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert as the sole leader in the competition, and fined him 300 Swiss Francs. The reason given was "rétropoussée » sur voiture", or being pushed back by a car.

A source close to Quick-Step suggested that he was holding onto the race doctor's car while being treated, but returned quite quickly to the bunch, and this is the situation which was frowned upon by the commissaires. 

The movement in the points standings means Cavendish is now fifth on the points classification ahead of today's sixth and final stage, which is lining up to end with a bunch sprint. He was second on the first stage and won the second one to previously move into the lead in the competition.

On 23 points, he is now trailed by his sprinting rivals Fernando Gaviria of UAE-Team Emirates and Kaden Groves of BikeExchange-Jayco by one and two points respectively, which means the final sprint will decide the final standings.

The first intermediate sprint of stage six did nothing to alter the points standings, as the points were taken by the breakaway up the road.

Cavendish crashed heavily with 62km to go on Monday as the race was briefly split apart by echelons. He came down with Groupama-FDJ's Ignatas Konovalovas, but both managed to finish the day. Photos from the finish line show road rash on the left hand side of Cavendish, as his kit was ripped in the fall.

"As is normal with the chaos of echelons forming I had a touch of wheels and unfortunately I came down quite heavily," he said post-stage. "I am lucky that my injuries seem to not be too bad and I was able to get on my bike, with just some bruising and external abrasions.

"I hope that the other riders involved are also ok and I would also like to thank the race doctor for looking after me."

Hirt leads the points standings as well as the general classification, after he triumphed atop Green Mountain on Monday.

It was a bad day for Quick-Step in other ways, as Fausto Masnada went into stage five with the race lead, but could not keep up with the fastest climbers in the final.

The Italian had won stage four to move into the leader's jersey. The Belgian team fought hard to keep the Italian in the red leader's jersey, but he was undone by the day's final climb, as Intermarché stamped their authority on the race. 

The final climb saw the riders climb for 5.7 km at 10.5%, and Masnada lost 1:48 behind Hirt, which saw the race lead change hands.

Mark Cavendish crashed "quite heavily" on stage five of the Tour of Oman, but has said that his injuries do not seem "too bad".

Jan Hirt of Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert won the day, cresting Green Mountain solo after attacking in the final kilometre, and has taken control of the race lead ahead of the final day by more than a minute.

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl's Cavendish came down with 62km to go as the race was briefly split apart by echelons. Team DSM put the pressure down causing chaos in the bunch as the wind threatened to blow the peloton up, resulting in a crash for the Manxman among others.

He came down with Groupama-FDJ's Ignatas Konovalovas, but both managed to finish the day. Photos from the finish line show road rash on the left hand side of Cavendish, as his kit was ripped in the fall.

He came in 14:54 behind stage winner Hirt, but was never expected to challenge on the tough finishing climb of Jabal Al Akhdhar.

"As is normal with the chaos of echelons forming I had a touch of wheels and unfortunately I came down quite heavily," he said post-stage. "I am lucky that my injuries seem to not be too bad and I was able to get on my bike, with just some bruising and external abrasions.

"I hope that the other riders involved are also ok and I would also like to thank the race doctor for looking after me."

Cavendish leads the points classification, after finishing second and then first on the first two stages, although he has been by Hirt at the top of the standings. 

The final day should come down to a sprint, so Quick-Step will be hoping that Cavendish's injuries are not serious and do not prevent him from challenging.

The Belgian team went into the fifth stage with the race lead, after Fausto Masnada won stage four. They fought hard to keep the Italian in the red leader's jersey, but he was undone by the day's final climb, as Intermarché stamped their authority on the race. 

The final climb saw the riders climb for 5.7 km at 10.5%, and Masnada lost 1:48 behind Hirt, which saw the race lead change hands.

Mark Cavendish begins his 2022 season at the Tour of Oman on Thursday, and the Manxman is looking forward to seeing where he compares with the other riders in the peloton at this early stage.

The Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider endured a difficult end to 2021, suffering a heavy crash in the Six Days of Ghent before four armed men broke into his home during an aggravated burglary. 

However, Cavendish has managed to recover from those events and spend time preparing for the new campaign. He has previously raced in Oman three times before, winning a stage in 2011, and now he is intrigued to find out the racing form he finds himself in at the start of 2022. 

Speaking to the media, including Cyclingnews, Cavendish said: "I think everybody coming into a new season looks forward to starting to see their shape. 

"You don't really know. It doesn't matter how you're going until you compare yourself with the other people."

The six-day race will likely feature three stages favouring sprinters, offering Cavendish the perfect opportunity to dust off the cobwebs and try and get an early win under his belt. 

While the 36-year-old acknowledges this, he understands that whatever the result, the Tour of Oman will provide a better base for the team to improve upon as the Classics start at the end of February. 

He continued: "We're here with a group that can come work okay, across all terrains.[There are] possibly three sprint opportunities this year, but we have [Fausto] Masnada for the GC. It's a big climb up Green Mountain and you have to come prepared for all terrains, you know. It's not an easy a few days here.

"But it's a brilliant preparation race for the bigger races coming up. It's nice here in Oman – I've been here a few times and I enjoy the race. It's a beautiful place to ride."

Joining Cavendish and Masnada in Oman from Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl will be Iljo Keisse, Stijn Steels, Stan Van Tricht and Mauro Schmid. 21-year-old Ethan Vernon was due to make his debut for the team in the race too, but he has unfortunately withdrawn due to knee pain.

The Tour of Oman could be rescheduled for early March after being cancelled following the death of Sultan Qaboos, who had ruled the Middle Eastern country since 1970.

Instead of the original February 11-16 date, race organiser ASO is now looking into the possibility of holding the six-stage race from March 3-8, according to WielerFlits.

ASO are currently contacting teams to gauge interest for the rescheduled ProSeries race, which would clash with some other, more prominent events.

Strade Bianche takes place on March 7, while Paris-Nice begins the following day on March 8. It is also positioned after the opening weekend of racing in Belgium, featuring Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne.

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Riders such as Mark Cavendish (Bahrain McLaren) and Elia Viviani (Cofidis) were expected to take part in the Tour of Oman but the death of the longest-serving ruler in the Arab world will be marked by a national 40-day mourning period, which has resulted in the cancellation of numerous sporting and music events. No official cause of death has been given, although reports suggest he may have been suffering from cancer.

Viviani will now race at the Volta ao Algarve, while the other eight WorldTour teams who were originally down to take part will now have to decide if going to the rescheduled race compliments their riders' start to the season. Should the race go ahead, the date change and clashes with other races could see the quality of the start list drop significantly.

Previously, the 2.Pro category race first held in 2010, has been a popular early-season opener for some big-name riders, particularly the sprinters owing to the mostly flat terrain.

The race forms part of a month-long racing period in the Middle East, starting with the new Tour of Saudi Arabia, then Oman, and ending with the UAE Tour, the only WorldTour event in the region.

Organisers of the Tour of Oman have confirmed that the 2020 event has been cancelled.

The six-stage event was due to kick off in February with the likes of Mark Cavendish and Elia Viviani expected to race, but has now been called off following the death of Oman’s leader.

Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the longest-serving ruler in the Arab world, died earlier this month, sparking a 40-day mourning period which includes the cancellation of sporting and music events.

On Wednesday morning a spokesperson for ASO, the company that organises the Tour of Oman and the Tour de France, told Cycling Weekly: “I can confirm that the 2020 Tour of Oman won’t be organised this year.”

The decision follows the announcement by Oman’s Ministry of Tourism that hotels should cancel all festivals, music shows and art events to commemorate the death of Sultan Qaboos.

A statement from the ministry, published on January 16, said: “In reference to the Diwan of Royal Court announcement regarding the mourning period and the flying of flags at half-mast over the forthcoming 40 days, the Ministry of Tourism calls all hotels and tourism establishments and organisations to halt all festivals, art or music shows or any display of festivities or joy which are planned to take place at their facilities during the entire mourning period of 40 days.

“They must also avoid the use of music in any private or public events which are hosted at their properties.”

Sultan Qaboos, who took over the Middle Eastern country in a bloodless coup the support of Britain in 1970, died on January 10 after spending a week in Belgium for medical treatment late last year.

No official cause of death has been given, although reports suggested he may have been suffering from cancer.

Scheduled to run from February 11-16  the Tour of Oman, a 2.Pro category race first held in 2010, has been a popular early-season race for some big name riders, particularly the sprinters owing to the mostly flat terrain.

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Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) and André Greipel (Israel Start-up Nation) have both had notable success in the race, and previous general classification winners include Chris Froome (Team Ineos), Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo) and most recently Alexey Lutsenko (Astana).

The race forms part of a month-long racing period in the Middle East, starting with the new Tour of Saudi Arabia, then Oman, and ending with the UAE Tour, the only WorldTour event in the region.

As expected, the final stage of  the Tour of Oman came down to a bunch sprint, with Dimension Data’s Giacomo Nizzolo taking the honours. The Italian was led out consummately by team-mate Ryan Gibbons, who finished fifth, capping a good day for the team.

In what was a close fought sprint, Nizzolo managed to pip compatriot Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Merida) into second place, with another Italian, Davide Ballerini (Astana) in third.

Ballerini’s team-mate, Alexey Lutsenko finished in the bunch, enough to win the general classification for the second consecutive year.

Lutsenko was the dominant rider throughout the six stage race. He took the overall lead in stage three and not relinquishing it while winning two further stages, including Wednesday’s queen stage to Jabar Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain).

Astana themselves have had an excellent month, bagging ten victories in February alone.

Kazakh champion Lutsenko will travel home before heading to Belgium for the Opening Weekend where he will ride Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. He is however, expected to skip the other northern Classics in favour of the Ardennes in April.

How it happened

The 135.5km sixth stage between Al Mouj Muscat and Matrah Corniche, saw a huge fight to get in the early breakaway. Though CCC’s Nathan Van Hooydonck escaped in the opening kilometre, behind him it was chaos, as group after group tried their luck, only to be brought back by a raging peloton.

In the end the bunch saw fit to allow three individuals go up the road, each of them catching the leader one by one until, after 17km a group of four formed.

Van Hooydonck was joined by Stijn Vandenbergh (Ag2R), Alexis Guerin (Delko-Marseille Provence) and Adam de Vos (Rally-UHC), and over the ensuing 10km the quartet set about increasing their lead to 3-20.

Behind, the Astana team of race leader Alexey Lutsenko were allowed a rest as some of the sprinters’ teams took responsibility for managing the gap, which remained constant until 35km.

Then, a brief period of crosswinds saw Direct Energie threatening to split the bunch, though they did not have time before the course changed direction, and all they actually achieved was to reduce the gap to the leaders to 2-30. There the lead remained as the race sped along Oman's version of the M25, the Muscat Expressway, bypassing the built up coastal strip.

The race finally left the main roads, passing through crowded village streets before tackling the short but painfully steep climb of Al Hamriyah. By this time, with 52km to go, the bunch had closed in further, the gap down to 1-48.

From thereon the leaders' advantage was whittled away gently by a peloton that was never out of control. With Guerin dropped early on the first of three closing 7.5km laps, the breakaway’s fate was sealed and they were eventually caught on the final circuit.

The day was not without incident, however. Winner on the Corniche for the preceding three years, Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) was caught in a crash and forced to abandon with an injured knee, while Domenico Pozzovivo (Bahrain-Merida) suffered severe road rash, apparently in the same incident, but continued to finish second overall.

Results

Tour of Oman 2019, stage six: Al Mouj Muscat to Matrah Corniche (135.5km)

1. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Dimension Data in 3-07-12

2. Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain-Merida

3. Davide Ballerini (Ita) Astana

4. Clément Venturini (Fra) Ag2R

5. Ryan Gibbons (RSA) Dimension Data

6. Boris Vallée (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert

7. Reto Hollenstein (Sui) Katusha-Alpecin

8. Amaury Capiot (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen

9. Bryan Coquard (Fra) Vital Concept-B&B Hotel

10. Sven Erik Bystrøm (Nor) UAE Team Emirates, all at same time

Final general classification

1. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana, in 21-45-51

2. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Bahrain-Merida, at 44s

3, Jesús Herrada (Esp) Cofidis, at 47s

4. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates, at 53s

5. Élie Gesbert (Fra) Arkea-Samsic, at 1-03

6. Jan Polanc (Slo) UAE Team Emirates, at 1-14

7. Eliot Lietaer (Bel) Wallonie Bruxelles, at 1-25

8. Fabien Doubey (Fra) Wanty-Groupe Gobert, at 1-31

9. Brandon McNulty (USA) Rally-UHC, at 1-43

10. Quentin Pacher (Fra) Vital Concept-B&B Hotels, at 1-51

Astana’s Alexey Lutsenko all but ensured his second consecutive Tour of Oman overall victory on Wednesday, winning an exciting stage on Jabal Al Akhdhal. The Kazakh champion blasted over the line alone, bettering his second place on the same stage last year.

With Frenchman Fabien Grellier (Direct Energie) second and Domenico Pozzovivo (Bahrain-Merida) third, Lutsenko had it far from his own way as once again, the race served up another enthralling stage.

The 26-year-old had been in peloton when they reached the bottom of the climb with more than five kilometres to go, but ahead Grellier, one of the day’s breakaway remained with around three minutes lead.

And as the peloton was eroded one by one, the hot sun sun scorching their backs on the steep slopes, his advantage was reduced only very slowly.

When he passed the two kilometre marker he still led a group of around 10 by more than a minute, but when Lutsenko and Pozzovivo attacked that group the advantage began to diminish fast.

Entering the final 100m hope still burned brightly for the Frenchman, but as he passed the 50m sign Lutsenko blasted past, putting seven seconds into the Frenchman.

Lutsenko has been the dominant rider in this year’s race, with Wednesday his third victory, and with tomorrow’s final stage unlikely to present him too much of a challenge, victory is all but assured.

How it happened

The 152km queen stage between Samayil and Jabal Al Akhdhar kicked off with a flurry of attacks, a number of riders hoping to make the day’s break. Only after six frantic but short kilometres did a group establish a gap. 

Julien Duval (Ag2R), Romain Cardis and Fabien Grellier (Direct Energie), Stijn Steels (Roompot-Charles), Julien Mortier (Wallonie Bruxelles) and Kennneth Rooy (Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise) were allowed their head and eventually established a lead of three minutes after 19km had been raced.

Van Rooy had been placed in the bunch to defend to defend the aggressive rider classification led by team-mate Preben Van Hecke. 

That classification is awarded for a combination of points earned in both intermediate sprints and classified climbs, and former Belgian champion Van Hecke led by only three points from Katusha’s Ian Boswell after the American’s stage four efforts.

As expected Van Rooy took maximum points at the first intermediate sprint before the break reached their biggest advantage of six minutes, with 70km ridden. It was then that Pozzovivo’s Bahrain-Merida squad came to the front of the peloton and began chipping away at the leaders, taking over a minute off them in just 10km.

The leaders though remained resolute and even when Van Rooy dutifully bagged maximum points at the final sprint, just 14km from the line, the lead was still above four minutes. The sprint was the last straw for the break though, and soon Grellier was alone for the final.

Though it opens with some short sharp climbs, stage six is little more than a parade lap of the Matrah Corniche, on the sea front near Muscat’s old town. 

It is certainly one for the sprinters, and having won this stage for the last three years, Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) seems to have the measure of the course and his stage one victory will also surely buoy him.

However, André Greipel (Arkea-Samsic), Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) and Bryan Coquard (Vital Concept-B&B Hotels) are among a host of sprinters hoping to end their time in Oman on a high.

Results

Tour of Oman 2019, stage five: Samayil to Jabal Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain) (152km)

1. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana, in 3-44-03

2. Fabien Grellier (Fra) Direct Energie, at 7 seconds

3. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Bahrain-Merida, at 11s

4. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates, at 19s

5. Élie Gesbert (Fra) Arkea-Samsic

6. Jesús Herrada (Esp) Cofidis, all at same time

7. Jan Polanc (Slo) UAE Team Emirates, at 23s

8. Fabien Doubey (Fra) Wanty-Groupe Gobert, at 30s

9. Mathias Frank (Sui) Ag2R La Mondiale, at 39s

10. Matteo Fabro (Ita) Katusha-Alpecin, at 44s

General classification after stage five

1. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana, in 18-38-39

2. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Bahrain-Merida, at 44s

3, Jesús Herrada (Esp) Cofidis, at 47s

4. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates, at 53s

5. Élie Gesbert (Fra) Arkea-Samsic, at 1-03

6. Jan Polanc (Slo) UAE Team Emirates, at 1-14

7. Eliot Lietaer (Bel) Wallonie Bruxelles, at 1-25

8. Fabien Doubey (Fra) Wanty-Groupe Gobert, at 1-31

9. Brandon McNulty (USA) Rally-UHC, at 1-43

10. Quentin Pacher (Fra) Vital Concept-B&B Hotels, at 1-51

Sonny Colbrelli opened Bahrain-Merida’s account at the Tour of Oman on Tuesday, winning stage four in a bunch sprint. The Italian was clearly the strongest in the final, with clear air between him and second placed Greg Van Avermaet (CCC Team).

Clément Venturini (Ag2R) was a close third place after what was a tough day in the saddle for the 120-strong peloton.

An undulating course and strong breakaway meant the bunch finish was not a given. As the peloton entered the closing five kilometres a group of three riders, who had been out front since the 20km mark, still had 30 seconds lead and the catch was not inevitable.

Even as they entered the finishing straight the trio had not been caught, but it was heartbreak as they were finally swallowed up in the final 500m.

How it happened

At just 131km the shortest stage of the six started in frantic fashion. As the race left Yiti, heading for the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre, a number of riders tried to get away on the wide but steep opening stretch.

After five kilometres, a group of five managed to escape, though clearly the make up was not to race leader, Alexey Lutsenko’s liking as his Astana squad set about bringing them back as the race passed though the craggy, pink moonscape south of Muscat.

Only after 20km of fighting did three riders manage to escape. Ian Boswell (Katusha-Alpecin), Darwin Atapuma (Cofidis) and Nathan Van Hooydonck (CCC Team) gaining 30 seconds. They were then chased down by Jérémy Leveau (Delko-Marseille Provence) and Damien Gaudin (Direct Energie) bringing a fighting force of five riders in the day’s breakaway.

With 38km behind them, at the top of the second classified climb of the day they had stretched their lead to 3-35, where it settled, the race skirting the Muscat conurbation, heading for the triple ascent of Al Jabal Street.

There, the gap began drop slightly, the leaders leaders losing 30 seconds by time they had scaled the second and hardest ascent, with Van Avermaet’s CCC team doing the work, and Van Hooydonck easing off in the break.

It was only when first Laveau, then Gaudian fell back that any significant inroads were made into the escapees’ advantage, though they still entered the final five kilometres ahead. Even then, it was only when Van Hooydonck stopped working, to either assist Van Avermaet behind or to boost his own chances, that the trio’s fate was sealed.

Wednesday’s 152km stage sees the peloton take on Jabal Al Akhdhar - Green Mountain - and is sure to decide the general classification. Race leader Alexey Lutsenko (Astana) finished second there last year en route to winning overall and could well repeat the performance on Wednesday.

Results

Tour of Oman 2019, stage four: Yiti (Al Sifah) to Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (131km)

1. Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain-Merida, in 3-17-09

2. Greg van Avermaet (Bel) CCC Team

3. Clément Venturini (Fra) Ag2R LA Mondiale

4. Ryan Gibbons (RSA) Dimension Data

5. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) UAE Team Emirates

6. Benjamin Declercq (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise

7. Iuri Filosi (Ita) Delko-Marseille Provence

8. Baptiste Planckaert (Bel) Wallonie Bruxelles

9. Milan Menten (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise

10. Jesús Herrada (Esp) Cofidis, all at same time.

General classification after stage four

1. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz), in 14-54-46

2. Greg van Avermaet (Bel) CCC Team, at 14 seconds

3. Jesús Herrada (Esp) Cofidis, at 18s

4. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates, at 24s

5. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Bahrain-Merida, at 27s

6. Eliot Lietaer (Bel) Wallonie Bruxelles, at 29s

7. Ryan Gibbons (RSA) Dimension Data, at 30s

8. Élie Gesbert (Fra) Arkea Samsic, at 34s

9. Quentin Pacher (Fra) Vital Concept

10. Oliver Naesen (Bel) Ag2R La Mondiale, all at same time

Astana extended their winning streak on Monday with Alexey Lutsenko winning his second consecutive stage of the Tour of Oman.

The Kazakh champion attacked his remaining rivals on the final climb of today’s 192.5km stage to Qirayyat, holding off a charging Jesús Herrada (Cofidis) and Greg Van Avermaet (CCC).

The win concluded an exciting final two hours which waxed and waned, with various groups being dropped, caught and re-forming.

Along with a number of other favourites, Lutsenko had been part of a group of around 35 which formed after the first ascent of the final climb, ahead of a closing 42km circuit. That group closed down the day’s break of 10, catching the final pair with around 11km to go.

The closing 2.8km climb averaged 6.5 per cent, and was seen as one for the puncheur and, as such it was Dimension Data, working for South African Ryan Gibbons, who finished second on Sunday, who led onto the final ascent.

Their last rider peeled off approaching the final kilometre, and after a brief lull Lutsenko made his move, with no one able to match his power.

The victory is Astana’s eighth win in the same number of days. Over the weekend they won two stages and the general classification at the Vuelta Ciclista de Murcia and the overall at Colombia 2.1.

With his two wins in Oman, Lutsenko now looks well placed to repeat last year’s overall success. Then he finished second on the race’s signature stage to Green Mountain, and could equal the feat when the race tackles the same route on Wednesday.

How it happened

Once again almost as soon as the flag dropped there were attacks, though unlike the previous stages, the aggressors found it more difficult to get away.

However, before the early ascent of Al Jabal Street ten riders had escaped, and by the time Preben van Hecke (Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise) bagged maximum points at the top, they had a lead exceeding two minutes.

Hoping to defend his lead in the combativity classification, Van Hecke was joined by team mate Piet Allegaert, Kevin Reza (Vital Concept), Niccolò Bonifazio (Direct Energie), Evan Huffman (Rally UHC), Lukas Spengler (Wallonie-Bruxelles), José Viejo ( Euskadi-Murias), Julien Duval (Ag2R) and the Roompot-Charles pair of Maurits Lammertink and Arjen Livyns.

The break continued to build their lead as they crossed the Tropic of Cancer, heading south and with 60km covered had built an advantage of 6-30, and with a number of those riders just 1-38 behind general classification, the virtual leader was up the road.

Starting the day in the overall lead Alexander Kristoff knew he was unlikely to retain the red jersey and his UAE Team Emirates team did not take responsibility for the chase, which instead first fell to French Pro Continental squad Arkea-Samsic, who had no riders ahead.

However, even when some of the WorldTour teams came to assist the gap failed to close significantly. When Van Hecke took the final intermediate sprint with 65km remaining, the lead was 5-55 and, even with a stiff headwind, success for the breakaway was still possible.

However, with 60km to go, in a section of crosswinds, Lutsenko’s Astana team came to the front, upping the pace and causing a split in the bunch, and from there a group of 14 favourites formed, closing the gap significantly.

Though that group of favourites more than doubled in size shortly after they crossed the line for the first time, the gap to the escapees had shrunk to just two minutes and the die was cast for Lutsenko’s win.

Four classified climbs punctuate stage four’s 131km between Yiti and the Oman Convention and Exhibition centre, making it another for the all-rounder.

Results

Tour of Oman 2019, stage three: Shati Al Qurum to Qurayyat (195.5km)

1. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana, in 4-35-48

2. Jesús Herrada (Esp) Cofidis, at 1 second

3. Greg van Avermaet (Bel) CCC Team

4. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates, all at same time

5. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Bahrain Merida, at 4s

6. Eliot Lietaer (Bel) Wallonie Bruxelles, at 6s

7. Oliver Naesen (Bel) Ag2R La Mondiale, at 11s

8. Quentin Pacher (Fra) Vital Concept

9. Élie Gesbert (Fra) Arkea Samsic

10. Ryan Gibbons (RSA) Dimension Data, all at same time

General classification after stage three

1. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana, in 11-37-37

2. Jesús Herrada (Esp) Cofidis, at 18 seconds

3. Greg van Avermaet (Bel) CCC Team, at 20s

4. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates, at 24s

5. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Bahrain Merida, at 27s

6. Eliot Lietaer (Bel) Wallonie Bruxelles, at 29s

7. Ryan Gibbons (RSA) Dimension Data, at 30s

8. Élie Gesbert (Fra) Arkea Samsic, at 34s

9. Quentin Pacher (Fra) Vital Concept

10. Oliver Naesen (Bel) Ag2R La Mondiale, all at same time

Last year’s overall winner Alexey Lutsenko stamped his authority on this year’s Tour of Oman on Sunday, winning stage two at Al Bustan.

In what was an exciting final, the 26-year-old Astana rider attacked a strung out peloton on a ramp preceding the final classified climb, and was able to hold on to finish alone.

However, even as the Kazakh champion entered the final uphill straight to the line, the result was not in the bag, the peloton closing him down fast.

Eventually yesterday’s opening stage winner, Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) led home a group of 35 riders to finish second, just three seconds back, with Dimension Data’s South African Ryan Gibbons just behind in third. 

Having placed second on the same finish last year, Greg Van Avermaet (CCC) had targeted the stage, and tried to bridge to Lutsenko on the final classified climb, but was unable to make contact, eventually finishing 15th.

The result puts Lutsenko into second place overall, Kristoff’s second place enough for him to retain the leader’s red jersey.

How it happened

In a repeat performance of yesterday’s opening stage, four riders escaped the moment the flag dropped for the start of the 156.5km stage between Royal Cavalry Oman and Al Bustan.

Aritz Bagües (Euskadi-Murias), former Belgian champion Preben van Hecke (Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise) and his two compatriots, Jérôme Baugnies (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) and Lionel Taminaux (Wallonie-Bruxelles) soon opened a lead of 2.15, with just 10 kilometres behind them.

In the peloton, while he held little hope of retaining the leader’s jersey, the UAE Team Emirates team of stage one winner Alexander Kristoff led the bunch through the dusty, undulating hinterland inland from the nation’s capital, Muscat.

On the approach to the first classified climb at Fanja, with 49km gone, the leaders’ gap had risen to 3-30, though the battle for the king of the mountains classification was such that the group split into two.

However, after van Hecke took maximum points, the quartet reformed on the descent, the lead stretching to 4-30 where it stayed until Taminaux won the day’s first intermediate sprint at Saal, with 83km to go.

It was after this point that the gap began to come down, the bunch knocking a minute off the break’s lead, with Van Avermaet’s CCC squad and Lutsenko’s Astana team leading the charge.

Van Hecke attacked the break on the second of the four climbs, eking out a lead of 40 seconds on two chasers as Taminaux was conclusively dropped back to the closing bunch.

With gap now below 50 seconds, Van Hecke once again attacked on the penultimate short sharp ascent of Al Hamriyah, but when CCC surged from behind, he was finally swallowed up 16km out.

Though there are only three classified climbs during  tomorrow’s 192.5km stage, the longest day of the race overall is likely to prove more challenging than Sunday’s. The uphill finish at Qurayyat is far tougher than today’s, and with the final circuit ascending it twice, a smaller group could be contesting the win.

Results

Tour of Oman 2019, stage two: Royal Cavalry Oman to Al Bustan (156.5km)

1. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana, in 4-07-19

2. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) UAE Team Emirates, at 3 seconds

3. Ryan Gibbons (RSA) Dimension Data

4. Iuri Filosi (Ita) Delco Marseille Provence

5. Oliver Naesen (Bel) Ag2R La Mondiale

6. Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain Merida

7. Enrico Battaglin (Ita) Katusha Alpecin

8. Benjamin Declercq (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise

9. Clément Venturini (Fra) Ag2R La Mondiale

10. Magnus Cort (Den) Astana, all at same time

General classification after stage two

1. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) UAE Team Emirates, in 7-01-56

2. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana, at 3 seconds

3. Ryan Gibbons (RSA) Dimension Data, at 12s

4. Clément Venturini (Fra) Ag2R La Mondiale, at 16s

5. Iuri Filosi (Ita) Delco Marseille Provence

6. Magnus Cort (Den) Astana

7. Greg van Avermaet (Bel) CCC

8. Sven Erik Bystrøm (Nor) UAE Tem Emirates

9. Élie Gesbert (Fra) Arkéa Samsic

10. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates, all at same time

Alexander Kristoff won stage one of the Tour of Oman on Saturday, out-sprinting his rivals to take the first win of his season. The Norwegian hit the front with 70m to go and crossed the line ahead of Frenchmen Bryan Coquard (Vital Concept-B&B Hotels) and Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis).

The closing kilometre was straight as die but with the wind coming from the sea to the peloton’s right, timing the sprint was essential for Kristoff, who sprinted in the saddle throughout the final.

A former European champion, Kristoff is the third sprinter from his UAE Team Emirates squad to take a victory this season, after Fernando Gaviria’s success in South America and Belgian Jasper Philipsen’s at the Tour Down Under.

Kristoff was clearly relieved to get the win, saying: “All the sprinters on the team have been winning so it was about time I was winning a race.”

Kristoff has attended every one of the ten editions of the race, winning at least one stage a year since 2014, and with nine wins has more than any other rider.

How it happened

The pan flat opening stage of the 10th edition of the Tour of Oman started at Al Sawadi Beach in a straight line, parallel with the coast, to Suhar Corniche, and with a breeze blowing off the sea, crosswinds had been expected.

That did not deter the early, four man breakaway, who attacked the moment the flag dropped after the 4.5km neutralised zone, building an early lead.

Alexis Guerin (Delco-Marseille Provence), Sergio Rodriguez (Euskadi Murias), Emiel Planckaert (Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise) and Michael Schär (CCC) built an advantage in excess of three minutes before they had reached the 20km mark.

By the time the escapees reached the first intermediate sprint of the day, they led the peloton by more than four minutes, which would be their maximum advantage. There, in Al Hadib it was Guerin who took the honours, the three bonus seconds and the same number of points towards the sprinter’s classification.

It was after this sprint that the leaders’ gap began to drop, a minute being lost in just five kilometres. On the front French Pro Conti squad Vital Concept-B&B Hotels were working for sprinter, Bryan Coquard hoping to repeat his opening stage win of last year’s race.

Just before the feed zone, with 63km remaining, the crosswinds finally hit, causing an increase in pace and a split in the bunch, also bringing the gap to the leaders down to just 1.15. However, as the peloton reformed, once again the gap went out, increasing to 2-45 as they entered the closing 35km.

With 32km to go Schär won the final intermediate sprint and, having finished second in the previous one, was set to wear the gold jersey of the most aggressive rider classification.

After this sprint, the gap once again began to be eroded as the sprinters’ teams took control, setting up the bunch finish.

Schär and Kristoff are the only two riders to have ridden each edition of the Tour of Oman, and while Kristoff is the record stage winner, the Swiss rider has never known victory, making do only with the breakaway.

“I went to my director in the neutralisation and said I would go in the break, I was joking but I had to hold my word,” he laughed afterwards.

“I really like it,” he continued when asked why he keeps returning. “It’s different here there’s a lot of culture and you feel the people and that culture.

“It’s also perfect preparation for the classics, it has an absolutely balanced parcours, something for the sprinters, for the puncheurs, for the true climber and even for the breakaway guys.”

Schär is likely to be busy on Sunday’s lumpy 156.5km stage between Royal Cavalry Oman and Al Bustan. This is a stage for the all-rounder and his CCC team mate Greg van Avermaet has identified it as one for him.

Results

Tour of Oman 2019, stage one: Al Sawadi Beach to Sugar Corniche (138.5km)

1. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) UAE Team Emirates in 2-54-50

2. Bryan Coquard (Fra) Vital Concept-B&B Hotels

3. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis

4. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Dimension Data

5. Niccolò Bonifazio (Ita) Direct Energie

6. Mikel Aristi (Esp) Euskadi Murias

7. Boy van Poppel (Ned) Roompot Charles

8. Davide Ballerini (Ita) Astana

9. Amaury Capiot (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen Baloise

10. Emils Liepins (Lat) Wallonie-Bruxelles all at same time

General classification after stage one

1. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) UAE Team Emirates in 2-54-40

2. Bryan Coquard (Fra) Vital Concept-B&B Hotels at 04 sec

3. Michael Schär (Swi) Team CCC at 05 sec

4. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis at 06 sec

5. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Dimension Data at 10 sec

6. Niccolò Bonifazio (Ita) Direct Energie

7. Mikel Aristi (Esp) Euskadi Murias

8. Boy van Poppel (Ned) Roompot Charles

9. Davide Ballerini (Ita) Astana

10. Amaury Capiot (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen Baloise

Though the northern, cobbled Classics remain his focus, Olympic champion Greg Van Avermaet has not ruled out a tilt at winning Liège-Bastogne-Liège this April. 

The route of the final spring Monument has been changed for 2019, the new flatter finish in central Liège favouring the Belgian and he is clearly tempted to add a second Monument to his palmarès.

“Yes, for sure,” he responded when asked if he was considering Liège at the pre-Tour of Oman press conference on Friday. “It will be decided in the week before. Amstel [Gold Race] is always a big target for me, and there has to be some energy left in the tank.

“Two years ago I did Liège and I was 12th in a super-hard race, now they’ve changed the finish a little bit in my favour, but I still need to have some freshness.

“I know the region really well, I have a house there and for me it’s always a really nice race, but with my qualities as a rider I am better off going to Flanders.

“I don’t have the palmarès to say I'm only going to focus on Liège, so first we see how it goes in the Flemish Classics.”

Van Avermaet, who now rides for the newly formed CCC, will be looking to confirm his form at the six stage Tour of Oman starting on Saturday. Last year’s edition saw him take one stage victory and a second place, though 2019 has already brought success.

Last week the 33-year-old won stage three of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, a result which not only gave confidence in his winter training, but helped the team build ahead of the most important period of the season.

The CCC squad is largely a re-branding of the BMC team Van Avermaet rode for and which folded at the end of last season, however only two of his six team-mates in the Middle East this week were with him in 2018.

“A stage win here is always super nice, and it’s always good to get to know the new team-mates better. We did a good job already in Valencia and you need to have the confidence of the team and see what the guys can do, how they are reacting and where their form is.”

While a result in Oman would not go amiss, the Belgian’s eye remains on a Classics prize. 

After having been tarred with the image of always being the bridesmaid and never the bride, 2017 brought Van Avermaet unparalleled success. 

He began that year’s northern races without a victory, but his spring streak saw him bag wins throughout the cobbled Classics, starting with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, finishing at Paris-Roubaix, with Ghent-Wevelgem and E3 Harelbeke in between. In 2019 it is once again this time which remains his priority. 

“I am not targeting one race, just the period again. From Nieuwsblad to Amstel are my main goals and one of them would be great. 

“Those races all stand on their own and if you can win a race like this your Classics season is always good. I am always really good with top-10s, I would like to win one of  them, that is the main goal.

“In 2017, the best year of my career, I managed to do well, so I think I have it in me to do well and do a lot of races, of course I would love to peak close to Flanders and Roubaix than in Nieuwsblad, but I am not a guy who picks out one race.

“Nieuwsblad is not long to go but Liège is six weeks afterwards, so it’s a big period.”

While we will have to wait to see whether has the endurance to race in Liège, in Oman Van Avermaet has already identified stages two and three as ones he could realistically win, though Tuesday’s fourth stage, with its short steep finish may also suit.

The Tour of Oman returns to the summit of Jebel Akhdar for its queen stage on the penultimate day.

An early season test for riders of all talents, the 2019 edition will feature the Green Mountain finish for the ninth year running.

Taking place from February 16 to 21, the race is expected to attract star riders like Greg Van Avermaet (CCC Team), Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) and André Greipel with his new Professional Contintental outfit Arkéa Samsic.

Climbers and Grand Tour winners have indeed graced the podium in previous years, and past winners of the race include Vincenzo Nibali and Chris Froome – the latter having taken the win twice, in 2013 and 2014.

Here’s a look at the individual stages of the race:

The race opens with a sprinters paradise on stage one, over 138.5km from Al Sawadi Beach to a new finish on Suhar Corniche.

Stage one features a 1.3km finishing straight along the seafront, making it a pure test for the lead-out trains to take the first leader’s jersey of the race.

Sprinters will then take a back seat over stages two and three, as Royal Cavalry Oman makes it’s debut on the second day.

A 156.5km run to Al-Bustan on stage two will be familiar territory for attacking riders, with a crunching flurry of climbs, descents and narrow roads characterising the final 30km.

Stage three starts from Shati Al Qurum and is another puncheur's dream over 192.5km to Qurayyat.

The stage finishes with a 2.8km-long climb at 6.5 per cent, where Sunweb’s Søren Kragh Andersen took victory in 2017.

Day four will see the peloton run from Yiti (Al Sifah) to the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre, in a 131km stretch that features three runs up the Al-Jabal Street climb before the finish.

The queen stage then follows on day five, 152km from Samayil to the summit of Jabal Al Akhdhar – the Green Mountain.

After 5.7km at 10.5 per cent, the general classification is likely to be settled only when the best reach the summit.

Then on stage six comes an anticipated return for the sprinters, with 135.5km from Al Mouj Muscat to Matrah Corniche.

With any television coverage of the Tour of Oman hard to find, it is easy to ask why the race exists, let alone what is happening during the second race of the Middle East trio.

Where other races in the region are mainly flat – limiting opportunities for many – the varied terrain of the Sultanate provides something for all styles.

Sunday's final stage and the opening day were for the sprinters, Saturday on the Green Mountain a chance for climbers to test their legs and the others for the puncheurs and rouleurs.

It is perhaps the latter, those aiming for spring goals on the northern cobbles and in rolling one-day races who have most to gain the most from the week.

>>> Tour of Oman: Latest news, reports and race info

Though Dutchman Niki Terpstra (Quick-Step Floors) did not win a stage he was in aggressive mood, attacking on stages two and four.

“I like the weather and also it is not a boring desert race,” explains Terpstra. “It’s not always exciting, but you have some climbing, bendy roads and it is great preparation to start the year.

“It gives you some race pace, we can train whenever we want but in the race you always go a little but faster and it is hard to simulate that.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhtGMMRbgY0

One who has experienced some success is Nathan Haas. After competing his home races in Australia, the Katusha-Alpecin rider has stopped off en route to Europe and not only honed his form. His victory in stage two at Al Bustan gave him confidence for early targets at Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo.

“Confidence is a huge thing in the cycling game,” he explained while sheltering from the scorching sun at Saturday’s race start.

“But it’s actually the timing coming from Australia, I can segue across to Europe, half the time zone and stay in the nice weather a bit longer. I still acclimatise to the cold, but you don’t have the raw time in the cold to get sick.

“I think it’s an awesome parcours, I would almost like to come here in November to do a training camp.”

This year is the sixth consecutive Tour of Oman for Olympic champion Greg Van Avermaet, winner of stage three to Wadi Dayqah Dam. His recent Classics seasons have been consistently good, with last year as good as anyone could hope for.

“It is the perfect preparation,” said Van Avermaet who raced the Vuelta a la Communitat Valenciana before heading to the Middle East. “In the other years I was always feeling pretty good in Nieuwsblad and Kuurne, so I try to keep the same preparation.

“It is totally different from all the others in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, they are more sprinters stages which I don't like that much, I don't have big options to win and most of the time the races are not hard there.

“Qatar was different with the wind so the strongest guy survived there a lot times, but when it disappeared I came back to the Valenciana but I kept Oman because I always had good feelings here. It is a good habit.”

While some of the peloton continue to hone their form in the Abu Dhabi Tour next week, Van Avermaet, Terpstra and many others will be in Belgium competing in the Openings Weekend races. The Belgian won the last two editions of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and has gone well at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne.

>>> Abu Dhabi Tour 2018 start list

Van Avermaet’s stunning 2017 winning streak concluded at Paris-Roubaix last year, and both he and Terpstra - who particularly covets the Queen of the Classics - will aim to be on form throughout the northern races.

Haas’s first target comes the week after Omloop at Strade Bianche, then subsequently San Remo. “They’re races I have typically been good in and just screwed up in the final,” he adds, confidence in both form and team boosted by his time in Oman.

What each of them has in common is they see each other as rivals, along with the likes of Peter Sagan, Philippe Gilbert, Sep Vanmarcke and Alexander Kristoff, the last another to have prepared in Oman.

The Tour of Oman has recently confirmed it will run for a further six years and organisers do provide a daily highlights package. It is therefore down to broadcasters to show this fascinating race which has become a key event in the build up to the Classics season.

Former British champion Adam Blythe was left disappointed after being disqualified from the final stage of the Tour of Oman on Sunday.

The 28-year-old received the sanction mid-race after taking an irregular bike change in the closing kilometres of the 135.5km stage between Al Mouj and Matrah Corniche.

>>> Kristoff sprints to final stage victory at Tour of Oman as Lutsenko secures overall victory

The issue arose when Aqua Blue rider Blythe took a bike from the side of the road as the peloton passed the team car, which had gone ahead to prepare the bike.

Both team directeur sportif Martyn Irvine and Blythe himself were too angry speak with Cycling Weekly after the race.

However, the president of the jury - chief commissaire - Jean-Pierre Coppenolle spoke to reporters at the finish line.

“The team manager of Blythe asked if he could go in front To prepare the bike, and I said yes because the new system of brakes is not easy,” Copppenolle said.

“He can go to the front to prepare the bike, but the changing of the bike that must happen behind the bunch and from the car.

“He gives the bike, but from the front, with the new rules it is not allowed.”

Technical support during races is covered by UCI regulation 2.3.029 which states,

“… Mechanical assistance at fixed locations on the course is limited to wheel changes only except for races on a circuit where bike changes can be made in the authorized zones.

“Any mechanical assistance which fails to meet the obligations above will result in the disqualification of the rider either immediately, or after the race if proven by any means and verified by the commissaires (article 12.1.001).”

The following regulation, 2.3.030 continues

“Whatever the position of a rider in the race, he may receive such assistance and mechanical check (brakes for example) only to the rear of his bunch and when stationary…”

Spare bikes at the Tour of Oman are transported in modified pick up trucks, the bikes carried sideways with the front wheel removed.

This year Aqua Blue have been riding the new 3T Strada which not only boasts a single chainring set up, but also disc brakes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGC6TGs1Ps0

Last week during stage two of the Dubai Tour, Quick-Step Floors’ sprinter Elia Viviani suffered a puncture with 20km remaining and the consequent wheel change took 50 seconds to complete. Viviani won that stage, but it was that sort of delay Aqua Blue may have been trying to avoid.

Blythe’s disappointment is wholly justified as the incident meant he was unable to contest the sprint finish later won by Alexander Kristoff (UAE Emirates).

With third place on the final stage of the Dubai Tour last week and three other recent top 10 results, Blythe has shown good sprint form this year, and missed out on the chance of victory as a result of the disqualification.

It went form bad to worse for Aqua Blue in the race as Blythe’s lead out man Shane Archbold was in excellent position in the final kilometre, but suffered a mechanical and he too was unable to contest the sprint.

For the third consecutive year Alexander Kristoff won the final stage at Tour of Oman on Sunday, in so doing taking his first victory since joining UAE Team Emirates this season.

The Norwegian sprinted to victory on the Matrah Corniche, beating stage one victor Brian Coquard (Vital Concept) and Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek-Segafredo).

For a few moments a bunch sprint appeared in doubt when a breakaway survived until the final lap of the finishing circuit on the Corniche on the outskirts of the capital city, Muscat. Remi Cavagna (Quick-Step Floors) had been the last of a five-man group to be taken back with less than five kilometres to ride.

Finishing safely in the bunch, Kazakh Alexey Lutsenko (Astana) won the general classification.

How it happened

As with the previous stages this week, on the wide dual carriageways bypassing Muscat a breakaway formed soon after kilometre zero. Frenchman Cavagna, Xandro Farazijn (Sport Vlaanderen), Xandro Meurisse (Wanty-Groupe Gobert, Pim Ligthart (Roompot-Nederlandse Lotterij) and Fabricio Ferrari (Caja Rural), all veterans of previous breakaways this week, quickly built a lead of 4.50.

Behind, with a bunch finish likely, and Meurisse 9-29 down, the closest on general classification, the Astana team of race leader Lutsenko left the chase to the sprinter’s teams.

The day’s two classified climbs at 83 and 100km and, on the approach to those and the finishing laps on the Corniche beyond them, the peloton began closing in on the five escapees.

Buy the time the leaders crossed the line for the first of three times,with 22km remaining, the gap was down to 1.15, the bunch toying with the remaining escapees, Cavagna and Ligthart.

In the final kilometres Cavagna went solo, crossing the finish line for the penultimate time with just 30 seconds advantage but with the bunch behind the sprint final became inevitable.

As has been the case in each edition since its introduction in 2010, the overall was won on Green Mountain on Satruday’s queen stage. Lutsenko finishing second there behind team-mate Miguel Angel Lopez, himself taking second on the general classification, winning the young rider’s competition.

Kristoff’s sprint success takes to eight the number of stages the Norwegian has won in Oman, a record for the event.

Top placed British rider was Aqua Blue’s Mark Christian in 35th place, with Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) five places further down.

Former British champion Adam Blythe, who was targeting the stage, was disqualified for taking an irregular bike change late in the 135.5km sage between Al Mouj and Matrah Corniche.

Results

Tour of Oman 2018, stage six: Al Mouj Muscat to  Matrah Corniche, 135.5km

1. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) UAE Team Emirates, in 3-11-29

2. Bryan Coquard (Fra) Vital Concept Cycling Club

3. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo

4. Magnus Cort Nielsen (Den) Astana

5. Nathan Haas (Aus) Katusha-Alpecin

6. Davide Martinelli (Ita) Quick-Step Floors

7. Amaury Capiot (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise

8. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team

9. Benjamin Declercq (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise

10. Floris Gerts (Ned) Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij, all at same time

Final general classification

1. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana, in 22-49-50 22:49:50

2. Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana, at 11 secs

3. Gorka Izagirre (Esp) Bahrain-Merida, at 28 secs

4. Jesus Herrada (Esp) Cofidis, at 30 secs

5. Nathan Haas (Aus) Katusha-Alpecin, at 32 secs

6. Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick-Step Floors, at 1-05

7. Daniel Navarro Garcia (Esp) Cofidis, at 1-14

8. Odd Christian Eiking (Nor) Wanty-Groupe Gobert, at 1-24

9. Merhawi Kudus (Eri) Dimension Data, at 1-29

10. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates, at 1-37

It didn’t take long for Dan Pearson to roll to a halt after the crossing the finish line in seventh place on Saturday’s stage of the Tour of Oman.

The severe gradient on Jabar Al Akhdhar – Green Mountain – all but stopped him in his tracks and, with the searing heat baking all the riders as they climbed the five-kilometre ascent, he soon found a place in the shade of the roadside wall.

It had been a notable performance for the Welshman, though he was remarkably sanguine about his achievement.

“It was a good effort. It was a step up from last year so I’m quite happy,” he breathed between gulps of water.

Seventh was indeed a step up for 23-year-old Pearson, though the 11th place he collected last year was not to be sniffed at either, especially in what was his first year at Pro Continental level with Aqua Blue Sport.

>>> Miguel Ángel López wins Tour of Oman stage five after Astana dominate on Green Mountain

Today’s ride saw Pearson finish ahead of luminaries such as Tour, Vuelta a España and Giro d'Italia winner Vincenzo Nibali who won the corresponding stage in 2016, and former world champion Rui Costa, among others. Indeed he rode away from group containing those two to finish just 33 seconds behind stage winner Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana).

“The worst thing to contend with was the heat,” he continued. “It was so hot you just could can’t put the power out when your heart rate is over the normal limit. You’ve got to make sure you keep yourself cool and not go too early because as soon as you overheat you're knackered.

“I had to slip back a little bit as they drove it at the start because there is no need to go so deep there and I was probably in 15th or 16th wheel. People were just dropping out of line as they were getting cooked and you just have to close those gaps and work your way up to the front.”

Eventually Pearson found himself in a group with Nibali, Costa among others and, able to attack, he did.

“You can’t look at it and say ‘this is Nibali’ you just think he’s strong and I can follow him, you think about them as a strong rider, like in another bike race.

“I didn’t want to go alone before that downhill, so I waited and started going on the steep bit and no one was really doing anything, so I thought I would give it a go.

“I didn’t really attack super-hard I just tried to pace myself really, and ride my own pace to the top.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJrRUzEd-bM

Aqua Blue has achieved excellent results in the Middle East campaign to date. Testament, Pearson believes, to the excellent team work in the Irish-registered outfit.

“The guys looked after me really well all day, we have really come together as a team. You see in Dubai they were pulling for Adam really well and Adam was getting up there, Mark [Christian] got up there yesterday and I think it’s a step in the right direction.”

For tomorrow’s final stage, Aqua Blue are likely to be working for sprinter Adam Blythe, and it is not yet clear whether Pearson will have to look after himself to retain his seventh place on general classification.

Should he do so, and continue his clear year-on-year improvements, he has a chance of attracting attention from bigger teams in what is the last year of his contract.

Astana turned the Green Mountain blue today finishing first and second on the Tour of Oman’s queen stage to Jebel Al Akhdhar. With team owner Alexandre Vinokourov watching, the Kazakh outfit bagged first and second place on the mountain to follow yesterday’s win.

Colombian climbing prodigy, Miguel Ángel López took first place with team-mate Alexey Lutsenko close behind. The result places Kazakh rider Lutsenko into the leader’s jersey with his team mate López just 11 seconds back and leading the young rider’s classification.

Averaging 10 per cent gradient, the final, five-kilometre climb was a brutal test, the bowl like geography holding the day’s heat, with temperatures well over 30°C.

Astana, however, dominated the mountain by attacking with three riders and four kilometres remaining. Only Bahrain-Merida’s Gorka Izagirre was able to follow, though he faded soon after one of the Astana riders, leaving only Lutsenko and López to contest the final.

How it happened

The opening 35km of the 152km stage between Sama’il and Jabar al Akhdhar were on highway, and almost instantly attacks went clear. After a short battle, two groups of three riders came together to for the break of the day.

>>> Tour of Oman 2018: Latest news, reports and race info

Apparently out of sight and out of mind, on smaller roads, winding through baked, craggy, dusty landscape, the break soon built a gap in of four minutes.

For their part, the six, Marco Marcato (UAE Emirates), Pom Ligthart (Roompot-Nederlandse Lotterij), Benjamin Declercq (Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise), Nicholas Schultz (Caja Rural) and the Rally Cycling duo of Robin Carpenter and Adam de Bos maintained both cooperation and work rate.

https://youtu.be/CiT2ENMdETM

Indeed, such was the group’s work ethic, as they hit the straight roads of the oven-like desert flat lands, and the first intermediate sprint of the day – won by Declercq – the gap extended to over five minutes, the widest margin of the race to date.

However, with the spectre of Green Mountain looming the peloton were confident the catch could be made. As the race entered its final 15 kilometres the break's advantage began tumbling with the peloton now in full flight.

The break reached the foot-slopes of the Green Mountain with an advantage of just 1-40, but within metres, as if they hit a wall, the peloton were upon them. Carpenter and Marcato lasted the longest, the American the last to be caught.

A noteworthy British result was that of Daniel Pearson (Aqua Blue Sport), who attacked from the chase group in the final couple of kilometres of the stage to distance the likes of Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) and finish seventh. The 23-year-old former Team Wiggins rider now sits 11th overall.

The two classified climbs of Sunday’s 135.5km final stage between Al Mouj Muscat and Matrah Corniche are unlikely to affect the general classification, with the stage expected to end in a bunch sprint.

Result

Tour of Oman 2018, stage five: Sama’il to Jabal Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain), 152km

1. Miguel Ángel López (Col) Astana, in 3-43-58

2. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana, at same time

3. Jesús Herrada (Esp) Cofidis, at 12 secs

4. Gorka Izagirre (Esp) Bahrain-Merida, at 15 secs

5. Nathan Haas (Aus) Kausha-Alpecin, at 22 secs

6. Peter Stetina (USA) Trek-Segafredo, at 25 secs

7. Daniel Pearson (GBr) Aqua Blue Sport, at 33 secs

8. Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick-Step Floors, at 43 secs

9. Nicolas Roche (Irl) BMC Racing, at 47 secs

10. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates, at 49 secs

General classification after stage five

1. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana, in 19-38-21

2. Miguel Ángel López (Col) Astana, at 11 secs

3. Gorka Izagirre (Esp) Bahrain-Merida, at 28 secs

4. Jesús Herrada (Esp) Cofidis, at 30 secs

5. Nathan Haas (Aus) Kausha-Alpecin, at 32 secs

6. Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick-Step Floors, at 1-05

7. Daniel Navarro (Esp) Cofidis, at 1-14

8. Odd Christian Eiking (Nor) Wanty-Groupe-Gobert, at 1-24

9. Merhawi Kudus (Eri) Dimension Data, 1-29

10. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates, at 1-37

Magnus Cort Nielsen (Astana) sprinted to victory on stage four of the 2018 Tour of Oman on Friday.

The 25-year-old Dane, who joined Astana for Orica-Scott over the winter, won from a group of around 25 riders, out-sprinting Italians Giovanni Visconti (Bahrain-Merida) and Alberto Bettiol (BMC) after a tough, but short stage which included four classified climbs.

After shaking hands with his colleagues and team management, the first thing Cort Nielsen did after winning stage four of the Tour of Oman was check his Garmin.

“I had to see the peak power,” he told Cycling Weekly, and while he would not say an exact figure he added, “Above 20 watts per kilo.”

“I was feeling good over the climbs, they were not raced aggressively,” Cort Nielsen continued.

“Only the last kilometre of the last climb was hurting, but I was in a decent position and I was able to slide back a couple of positions without going too much into the red zone. I still knew I had something left for my sprint coming down the hill.”

How it happened

The 117km stage began at the Al Sifah resort at Yiti, south of Muscat, the peloton battling through tight wadi roads, up and down short but steep climbs. Six riders eventually escaped, led almost inevitably by Loïc Chetout (Cofidis) wearing the golden jersey as the leader of the most aggressive rider classification.

He was joined by Remi Cavagna (Quick-Step Floors), Casper Pedersen (Aqua Blue), Pieter Weening (Roompot Nederlandse Lotterij), Jon Irisarri (Caja Rural) and Jacques Janse van Rensburg (Dimension Data) in the break.

Through the tight rural roads they established a gap of around two minutes, before the BMC team of overall race leader Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) took the front of the peloton, maintaining that deficit.

Despite a substantial lead in the aggressive rider classification, Chetout continued to hoover up points on both the hills and the intermediate sprints before being the first to drop from the group on the first classified ascent of Al Jabal Street, a climb they were to go over and back twice.

Before then, with 50km to go Bahrain-Merida joined BMC on the front of the bunch and the gap to the leaders began to close. It was the Katusha-Alpecin team of stage one winner Nathan Haas who brought the break to heel though, catching them just after the peloton turned round to retrace the Al-Jabal climb, after the first ascent.

Though subsequent flurry of attacks proved unsuccessful, they did serve to whittle down the peloton until the final selection was made for the run into the finish at the Omani Ministry of Tourism.

With two second places and a full set of top ten finishes Cort Nielsen placed second on general classification at last week’s Dubai Tour, and was relived to finally bag a win as he looks forward to the northern classics.

“It’s good to get a win so early in the season. The team did an amazing job guiding me into the final. Lutsenko did very well, so I have to thank him for this win.

>>> Tour of Oman 2018: Latest news, reports and race info

“It is good to get the race feeling and get in some finals, but the races are completely different, with big roads, not much stress and sitting in for the final. Belgium is completely the opposite."

Van Avermaet retained his leader’s jersey on today’s stage, while Cort Nielsen will return to a domestique role for tomorrow’s 152km Queen stage from Sama’il to Jabal al Akhdhar.

The five kilometre final climb averages 10 per cent and will be one for the climbers, with the Dane’s team-mates Alexey Lutsenko and Miguel Lopez Moreno the team’s protected riders. The race concludes on Sunday, February 18.

Result

Tour of Oman 2018, stage four: Yiti (Al Sifah) to Ministry of Tourism, 117.5km

1. Magnus Cort Nielsen (Den) Astana, in 2-57-36

2. Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Bahrain-Merida

3. Alberto Bettiol (Ita) BMC Racing

4. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing

5. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates

6. Nathan Haas (Aus) Katusha-Alpecin

7. Mark Christian (GBr) Aqua Blue Sport

8. Merhawi Kudus (Eri) Dimension Data

9. Odd Christian Eiking (Nor) Wanty-Groupe Gobert

10. Jesus Herrada (Esp) Cofidis, all same time

General classification after stage four

1. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing, in 15-54-20

2. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana, at 9 secs

3. Nathan Haas (Aus) Katusha-Alpecin, at 13 secs

4. Gorka Izagirre (Esp) Bahrain-Merida, at 19 secs

5. Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana, at 24 secs

6. Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick-Step Floors, at 25 secs

7. Odd Christian Eiking (Nor) Wanty-Groupe Gobert, at 25 secs

8. Jesus Herrada (Esp) Cofidis, at 25 secs

9. Daniel Navarro (Esp) Cofidis, at 25 secs

10. Merhawi Kudus (Eri) Dimension Data, at 33 secs

After yesterday’s second place, Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) made amends by winning stage three of the Tour of Oman at Al Dayqah Dam.

The Olympic champion attacked with 500 technical metres left of the 179.5km route left, eventually beating Rui Costa (UAE Team Emirates) by three seconds.

Astana, working for eventual third placed Alexey Lutsenko had upped the pace on the final classified climb, eight kilometres out, but they were unable to shake Van Avermaet’s BMC Racing team-mates, who protected the Belgian until his uphill attack.

Starting at the German University of Technology, the stage was the longest of this week’s six days, and with that in mind, the peloton was happy to let a break go clear. Indeed, the moment the bunch reached the wide open roads of the early kilometres, four riders escaped.

>>> Tour of Oman 2018 route: stage by stage

Wearing the gold jersey of the most aggressive rider, Cofidis’s Loïc Chetout made the group and was joined by Nicholas Schultz (Caja-Rural), Wouter Wippert (Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij), and Xandro Meurisse (Wanty-Groupe Gobert). The quartet were soon allowed to establish a lead of around three minutes which they sustained until late in the day.

As he had been yesterday, Chetout was combative, taking maximum points from the first two of three classified climbs and both intermediate sprints, the Frenchman clearly intending to win the gold jersey overall.

Riding through the valley south of Muscat the race fell into a lull, the peloton monitoring the break’s advantage as they passed hundreds of rocky outcrops - miniature versions of the distant mountains - behind which towns and villages were hidden.

With Wippert dropped on the second climb of the day the break’s advantage began to drop as the race approached the final, combative kilometres of the stage. Chetout soon followed, sitting up the moment he won the final sprint, and with the break down to two, they were caught just after the 20km to go marker.

Speaking with journalists near the finish, Van Avermaet was clearly pleased with his day’s work.

“It was a hard finish, I knew it form 2013 when I was second here, and I just tried to do the same. I had better legs, because the moment I wanted to go I was able to, and then it was about just getting to the finish as fast as possible.

“We came at just the right place, with the descent at three K to go, putting myself in the perfect position, and it was nice to finish off the team work.”

Despite now leading the general classification by three seconds ahead of Costa and Lutsenko, Van Avermaet does not think he can win overall.

“I’m not expecting to win the Tour of Oman here, but I’m here now in the leader’s jersey and tomorrow I’m going to try to defend it. Then I think Green Mountain will be for the climbers so they can take it over again. I think on a climb like that I am going to lose two minutes on the best climbers.

Tomorrow’s 117.5km stage between Yiti and the Ministry of Tourism will be explosive, with four classified climbs before a fast final 13 kilometres.

“It’ll be hard to control,” said Van Avermaet, “But we have a strong team. I was already second there a few times, so maybe I will try to go for another stage win.”

Results

Tour of Oman 2018, stage three: German University of Technology to Wadi Dayqah Dam, 179.5km

1. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing, in 4-36-04

2. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates, at 3 secs

3. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana Pro Team, at same time

4. Gorka Izagirre (Esp) Bahrain-Merida, at same time

5. Nathan Haas (Aus) Katusha-Alpecin, at 7 scs

6. Magnus Cort Nielsen (Den) Astana, at same time

7. Odd Christian Eiking (Nor) Wanty-Groupe Gobert, at 9 secs

8. Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick-Step Floors

9. Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana

10. Jesus Herrada (Esp) Cofidis, all at same time

General classification after stage three

1 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing, in 12-56-44

2 Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana, at 11 secs

3 Nathan Haas (Aus) Katusha-Alpecin, at 13 secs

4 Gorka Izagirre (Esp) Bahrain-Merida, at 19 secs

5 Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick-Step Floors, at 25 secs

6 Odd Christian Eiking (Nor) Wanty-Groupe Gobert

7 Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana

8 Jesus Herrada (Esp) Cofidis

9 Daniel Navarro (Esp) Cofidis, all at same time

10 Merhawi Kudus (Eri) Dimension Data, at 33 secs

Nathan Haas (Katusha-Alpecin) took the victory at the end of a testing stage two of the 2018 Tour of Oman on Wednesday.

Haas crossed the finish line at Al Bustan with a roar like you rarely hear. Tears of joy in his eyes, he dropped his bike, immediately hugging anyone from his Katusha-Alpecin team he could find.

With that done and a drink in his hands, the 28-year-old Australian sat on the kerb and spoke to journalists, gasping with both emotion and exertion.

“I am over the moon man, I have been working on a win for a while.”

Haas out-sprinted Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) and Alexey Lutsenko (Astana) on the uphill drag to the finish at Al Bustan, the end of a challenging stage backloaded with short, sharp climbs which put paid to the pure sprinters' chances.

Unlike yesterday’s stage, today’s 167.6km race from Sultan Qaboos University began with a fight for a place in the break of the day. However, when four riders got clear after a five-kilometre battle, the peloton settled.

Loic Chetout (Cofidis), Markel Irizar (Trek-Segafredo), Fabricio Ferrari (Caja- Rural) and the veteran American, Danny Pate (Rally Cycling) soon established a lead of four minutes. Behind them, race leader Brian Coquard’s Vital Concept team managed the gap.

The first of four classified climbs came early in the stage, after only 60km. Chetout took the honours there, the intermediate sprint point 24km later and the classified climb of Al Jabal Street, conclusively securing the gold jersey of the most aggressive rider.

The break’s advantage remained much the same until that second climb. Despite a number of crashes affecting multiple teams, the bunch began to close in as the tough final 25km loomed.

A group of around 20 riders made the final selection, descending from the final climb for the kick to the line.

Though he has come close, today’s success is Haas’s first since winning stage four of the Vuelta a Burgos in August 2016, when riding with Dimension Data.

“I am always the bridesmaid, so today I put on the wedding dress,” he said regaining some of his composure.

“It was kind of cool that Lutsenko took van Avermaet’s wheel, but he always goes so long, and I knew from watching the footage of Cancellara’s sprint in 2010 here. He waited and went on the right where it’s a shorter line, so I actually used my head before my legs got to kick in.

“I have so much anger and frustration building up and it’s not a heathy thing, in the last few weeks I learnt to relax and I had to use that anger and frustration in the moment, and once I kicked I wasn't letting anyone go.”

Having finished fourth at last year’s Santos Tour Down Under, Haas had hoped to do well in his home race this season, but suffered with the heat, eventually finishing way down the order.

>>> Tour of Oman 2018: Everything you need to know

“I put a lot of pressure on myself and maybe it’s a bit unrealistic, but I’m always just hungry and sometimes when you don't get the feed of a win and you’ve been coming so close for a few years you just end up getting frustrated. So today to beat Van Avermaet like that it’s been what I have been chasing.”

Having joined Katusha-Alpecin over the winter, Haas feels the support he had for today’s victory - the team’s first this season - was invaluable.

“I don’t want to can my time with Dimension Data, they were fantastic and I grew so much as a bike rider and as a person, but definitely today the delivery was just incredible.”

Thursday's 179.5km stage between the German University of Technology and Wadi Dayqah Dam is likely to produce more tough racing, though should suit Haas, helping him retain the overall lead he holds from Greg Van Avermaet by four seconds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AntnS1WXA4

Result

Tour of Oman 2018, stage two: Sultan Qaboos University to Al Bustan, 167.5km

1. Nathan Haas (Aus) Katusha-Alpecin, in 4-22-15

2. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team

3. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana

4. Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick-Step Floors

5. Merhawi Kudus (Eri) Dimension Data

6. Niki Terpstra (Ned) Quick-Step Floors

7. Gorka Izagirre (Esp) Bahrain-Merida

8. Jesus Herrada (Esp) Cofidis

9. Fabio Felline (Ita) Trek-Segafredo

10. Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana, all same time

General classification after stage two

1. Nathan Haas (Aus) Katusha-Alpecin, in 8-20-46

2. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team, at 4 secs

3. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana, at 6 secs

4. Merhawi Kudus (Eri) Dimension Data, at 10 secs

5. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida, at 10 secs

6. Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick-Step Floors, at 10 secs

7. Odd Christian Eiking (Nor) Wanty-Groupe Gobert, at 10 secs

8. Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana, at 10 secs

9. Fabio Felline (Ita) Trek-Segafredo, at 10 secs

10. Fabien Doubey (Fra) Wanty-Groupe Gobert, at 10 secs

Despite a chaotic final Bryan Coquard (Vital Concept) battled through to bag his first win of the season at the opening stage of the Tour of Oman.

The Vital Concept rider crossed the line a bike length ahead of Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) and Trek-Segafredo’s Giacomo Nizzolo, the Briton forced to start his sprint from too far back.

The relatively easy pace of the day meant a fresh peloton prevented any one team establishing a clear lead on the three lane roads in the final kilometres.

Coquard has shown form this season with four podium finishes, but had been unable to taste a victory until today, so was understandably pleased with his day’s work.

“I wanted to win and this first stage of the Tour of Oman is perfect,” the 25-year-old sprinter said after the podium celebrations, where he also took the race leader’s jersey. “I had a very good lead out and a perfect sprint for me.

“I lost a stage in [Etolie de] Besseges race, because I celebrated and Laporte arrived and took the win, and today when I sprinted I sprinted all the way to the finish line so I am happy.”

>>> Tour of Oman 2018 route: stage by stage

In what was a relatively routine day, four riders escaped the peloton within the opening two kilometres of the 162.5km stage between Nizwa and Sultan Qaboos University.

The quartet of Maxime Farazijn (Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise), Pierre Luc Perichon (Fortuneo-Samsic), Conor Dunne (Aqua Blue Sport) and Brian van Goethem (Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij) were allowed to escape by the bunch, and built an advantage of 4.30 with just 15 kilometres gone.

A combination of undulating roads through the craggy Omani hills west of Muscat, and the break jockeying for position for the first intermediate sprint reduced their lead to 2-50. Perichon won that sprint, bagging the three bonus seconds, after which the gap once again increased to over three minutes, where it remained fairly static.

With around 100km gone a combination of UAE Team Emirates, Rally Cycling, and Cofidis managed the front of the pack, keeping the break at arms length, eventually then reeling them in at their leisure.

Perichon bagged the second sprint of the day with 25km to go, and was the first to return to clutches of the peloton with 11km left of the day, with his fellow escapees caught just one kilometre later.

The 2018 Tour of Oman continues on Wednesday with stage two from Sultan Qaboos University to Al Bustan, covering 167.5 kilometres. There are four major climbs along the way, including the final one of Al Jissah just five kilometres from the line. The race concludes on Sunday, February 18.

>>> Tour of Oman 2018: Latest news, reports and race info

Result

Tour of Oman 2018, stage one: Nizwa to Sultan Qaboos University, 162.5km

1. Bryan Coquard (Fra) Vital Concept Cycling Team, in 3-58-41

2. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data

3. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo

4. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis

5. Max Walscheid (Ger) Team Sunweb

6. Adam Bythe (GBr) Aqua Blue Sport

7. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) UAE Team Emirates

8. Bram Welten (Ned) Fortuneo-Samsic

9. Magnus Cort Nielsen (Den) Astana

10. Boris Vallée (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert, all same time

General classification after stage one

1. Bryan Coquard (Fra) Vital Concept Cycling Team

2. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data, at 4 secs

3. Pierre-Luc Perichon (Fra) Fortuneo-Samsic, at 4 secs

4. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo, at 6 secs

5. Maxime Farazijn (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise, at 8 secs

6. Brian Van Goethem (Ned) Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij, at 8 secs

7. Conor Dunne (Irl) Aqua Blue Sport, at 8 secs

8. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis, at 10 secs

9. Max Walscheid (Ger) Team Sunweb, at 10 secs

10. Adam Bythe (GBr) Aqua Blue Sport, at 10 secs

The 2018 Tour of Oman has released the names of all confirmed riders for the February 13-18 race, with 2016 champion Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) due to ride alongside a host of sprinters likely to be targeting stage wins, including Team Dimension Data's Mark Cavendish.

The Tour of Oman 2018 route will consist of two flat out sprint days, three hilly routes and a final climber's stage which is highly likely to decide the overall victory.

Sprinter Cavendish will face rivals such as Nacer Bouhanni (Confidis), who won in Oman in 2013, as well as Frenchman Bryan Coquard (Vital Concept).

Hitting the more undulated routes, we're likely to see a battle between classics riders like Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), Niki Terpstra (Quick-Step Floors) and Alexander Kristoff (UAE Emirates).

Come the final stage, Nibali will need to defeat Columbian Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana) plus former world champion Rui Costa (UAE Team Emirates).

>>> Tour of Oman 2018: Latest news, previews and reports

Dimension Data (RSA)

CAVENDISH, Mark (GBR)

BERHANE, Natnael (ERI)

DAVIES, Scott (GBR)

DLAMINI, Nickolas (SA)

DOUGALL, Nick (SA)

JANSE VAN RENSBURG, Jacques (SA)

KUDUS, Merhawi (ERI)

Team Sunweb (GER)

KRAGH ANDERSON, Soren (DEN)

CURVERS, Roy (NED)

FRÖHLINGER, Johannes (BEL)

STAMSNIJDER, Tom (NED)

THEUNS, Edward (BEL)

TUSVELD, Martijn (NED)

WALSCHEID, Max (BEL)

Bahrain-Merida (BAH)

BOARO, Manuele (ITA)

NIBALI, Antonio (ITA)

NIBALI, Vincenzo (ITA)

BOZIC, Borut (SLO)

PIBERNIK, Luka (SLO)

VISCONTI, Giovanni (ITA)

IZABIRRE INSAUSTI, Gorka (ESP)

Quick Step Floors (BEL)

CAPECCHI, Eros (ITA)

TERPSTRA, Niki (NED)

CAVAGNA, Rémi (FRA)

DECLERCQ, Tim (BEL)

DEVENYNS, Dries (BEL)

JAKOBSEN, Fabio (NED)

MARTINELLI, Davide (ITA)

Wanty-Groupe Gobert (Bel)

EIKING, Odd (NOR)

ANTONINI, Simone (ITA)

DOUBEY, Fabien (FRA)

KREDER, Wesley (NED)

MCNALLY, Mark (GBR)

MEURISSE, Xandro (BEL)

VALLÉE, Boris (BEL)

Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise (Bel)

DE GENDT, Thomas (BEL)

CAPIOT, Amaury (BEL)

DECLERCQ, Benjamin (BEL)

DELTOMBE, Kevin (BEL)

FARAZIJN, Maxime (BEL)

VAN ROOY, Kenneth (BEL)

WARLOP, Jordi (BEL)

UAE Team Emirates (UAE)

KRISTOFF, Alexander (NOR)

DURASEK, Kristijan (CRO)

COSTA, Rui (Por)

FERRARI, Roberto (ITA)

MARCATO, Marco (ITA)

NIEMIEC, Przemyslaw (POL)

TROIA, Oliviero (ITA)

BMC Racing Team (USA)

VAN AVERMAET,Greg (BEL)

BETTIOL, Alberto (ITA)

DRUCKER, Jean-Pierre (LUX)

ROCHE, Nicolas (IRL)

SCHÄR, Michael (SUI)

VAN HOOYDONCK, Nathan (BEL)

VENTOSO ALBERDI, Francisco Jose (ESP)

Trek-Segafredo (USA)

FELLINE, Fabio (ITA)

BERNARD, Julien (FRA)

CONCI, Nicola (ITA)

IRIZAR, Markel (ESP)

NIZZOLO, Giacomo (ITA)

REIJNEN, Kiel (USA)

STETINA, Peter (USA)

Rally Cycling (USA)

PATE, Danny (USA)

CARPENTER, Robin (USA)

DE VOS, Adam (CAN)

HUFF, Charles Bradley (USA)

MAGNER, Tyler (USA)

MCNULTY, Brandon (USA)

YOUNG, Eric (USA)

Caja Rural-Seguros RGA (ESP)

YSSAAD, Yannis (FRA)

ARANBURU DEBA, Alex (ESP)

CELANO, Danilo (ITA)

FERRARI BARCELO, Fabricio (URU)

IRISARRI RINCON, Jon (ESP)

OIEN, Justin (USA)

SCHULTZ, Nicholas (AUS)

Cofidis, Solutions Crédits (Fra)

HERRADA, Jesus (ESP)

BOUHANNI, Nacer (FRA)

CHETOUT, Loic (FRA)

EDET, Nicolas (FRA)

LEMOINE, Cyril (FRA)

NAVARRO, Daniel (ESP)

VAN LERBERGHE, Bert (BEL)

Team Fortuneo-Samsic (FRA)

LUNKE, Sindre Skjøstad (NOR)

DANIEL, Maxime (FRA)

GERARD, Arnaud (FRA)

PERICHON, Pierre Luc (FRA)

SVENDGAARD, Michael Carbel (DEN)

VACHON, Florian (FRA)

WELTEN, Bram (NED)

Vital Concept Cycling Club (FRA)

COQUARD, Bryan (FRA)

BOECKMANS, Kris (BEL)

DE BACKER, Bert (BEL)

LE BON, Johan (FRA)

MANZIN, Lorrenzo (FRA)

MORICE, Julien (FRA)

REZA, Kevin (FRA)

Aqua Blue Sport (GBR)

BLYTHE, Adam (GBR)

ARCHBOLD, Shane (NZL)

CHRISTIAN, Mark (GBR)

DUNNE, Conor (IRL)

FENN, Andrew (GBR)

PEARSON, Daniel (GBR)

PEDERSEN, Casper (DEN)

Astana Pro Team (Kaz)

LOPEZ MORENO, Miguel Angel (COL)

FRAILE MATARRANZ, Omar (ESP)

HIRT, Jan (CZE)

KANGERT, Tanel (EST)

LUTSENKO, Alexey (KAZ)

NIELSEN, Magnus Cort (DEN)

STALNOV, Nikita (KAZ)

Roompot-Nederlandse Loteri (Ned)

WEENING, Pieter (NED)

GERTS, Floris (NED)

LIGTHART, Pim (NED)

REINDERS, Elmar (NED)

VAN GINNEKEN, Sjoerd (NED)

VAN GOETHEM, Brian (NED)

WIPPERT, Wouter (NED)

Team Katusha Alpecin

BOSWELL, Ian (USA)

CRAS, Steff (BEL)

HAAS, Nathan (AUS)

HOLLENSTEIN, Reto (SUI)

KUZNETSOV, Viacheslav (RUS)

PLANCKAERT, Baptiste (BEL)

POLITT, Nils (GER)

The ninth edition of the Tour of Oman begins tomorrow morning with the promise of six more years, after organiser ASO signed an extension of its agreement with the Municipality of Muscat.

This year’s six stages are based largely around the Gulf state’s capital city, and part of the agreement includes a programme to increase cycling in the country.

>>> Tour of Oman 2018 start list to include Nibali and Cavendish

Not only do they intend to help establish safe cycling infrastructure in and around the capital, ASO will be taking cycling into schools. This year the scheme will visit just two schools, both in Muscat, but in the coming years they intend to expand into every school in the country.

“The vision of the race is not only attached to the pro race,” Yann Le Moenner, ASO’s General Manager told Cycling Weekly at the race headquarters on Monday.

“It is also cycling as a key priority for the city. It is now time for Muscat to become a cycling paradise destination, and that starts not only with foreigners [tourists], but also the people of Muscat.”

On the surface the country may appear unattractive for cyclists, but this year’s race could illustrate the country’s varied cycling credentials.

Of the six stages, the first and last are set to be for the sprinters, stages two, three and four are for the puncheurs, with Saturday’s signature stage to Jabal Al Akhdar - Green Mountain - with 5.7km averaging 10.5 per cent - definitely one for the climbers.

Until last year the Tour of Oman was one of three Middle Eastern races owned by ASO. After the 2016 Doha World Championships, however, both the men’s and women’s Tour of Qatar disappeared from the calendar, leaving Giro d’Italia organiser, RCS with more events in the region than the French company.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaCHePwsEuk

“We have been here for years with Qatar and Oman,” continued Le Moenner. “It is important to be present at the beginning of the season, we are everywhere in the world so we definitely want to keep a strong link with the Middle East and Oman is the best country to do that.”

The race is certainly less glitzy than the Dubai and and Abu Dhabi Tours, and arguably the lack of live television coverage accentuates the low key feel.

The varied route does, however, attract some of the world’s best riders, with Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data), Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) and Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) among 126 riders due to take the start tomorrow.

“For sure compared to the other races there are more climbs, so you see a lot of climbers here,” said Alexander Kristoff (UAE Emirates) who has competed at each edition of the race and has seven stage wins to his name.

“The climbing and hilly days are full on and there is a little bit of the Classics in Oman. It is mainly the same guys and it is good preparation.”

While Kristoff is unlikely to compete in all six of the events announced today the Tour of Oman is certain to maintain its place as a perfect training ground for Classics hard men.

The Tour of Oman begins on Tuesday morning with the opening stage covering 162.5km stage between Nizwa and the Sultan Qaboos University.

Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) claimed a third stage of the 2017 Tour of Oman as Ben Hermans (BMC) safely sealed the overall victory on the final stage.

The Belgian took the lead in the race on stage two after a stage win, and asserted his dominance in the race after winning on Green Mountain on the stage five summit finish. Despite getting caught in a crash on Sunday's sixth stage Muttrah Corniche, Hermans was able to recover and finish the stage with his 22 second advantage over his nearest rival Rui Costa (UAE Abu Dhabi).

The 130.5km stage, which featured a couple of difficult climbs en route to the finish, featured a three-man breakaway of Iljo Keisse (Quick-Step Floors), Aime De Gendt (Sport Vlaanderen) and Benjamin Geraud (Delko Marseille Provence).

They were able to establish a gap of around three minutes in the escape, despite a blustery wind battering the riders throughout the stage.

On the stage's first climb at around 78km gone was when Hermans found himself caught up in the crash, while up front Geraud drifted out of lead group and back to the peloton depsite linking up with a second attempted breakaway that contained the likes of Mark Christian (Aqua Blue Sport).

BMC did much of the work to pull the break back in and as they entered the final 25km circuit the pair out front had around 1-20 advantage.

Keisse then found himself alone as De Gendt slipped away, and Katusha began to wind things up in search of another sprint victory for their leader Kristoff.

The lone Belgian was caught within the final 5km, and that prompted attacks from both Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale) and Greg Van Avermaet (BMC). Both were short lived as Katusha continued to hold a high pace, and eventually it was all back together for a bunch sprint.

Kristoff was able to comfortably power ahead of Eduard Grosu (Nippo-Vini Fantini) and Sacha Modolo (UAE Abu Dhabi) to take his third win and confirm his position as the race's best sprinter.

Results

Tour of Oman 2017 stage six, The Wave - Muttrah Corniche (130.5k):

1. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha-Alpecin, in 2-57-03

2. Eduard Grosu (Rom) Nippo - Vini Fantini

3. Sacha Modolo (Ita) Team UAE Abu Dhabi

4. Bert Van Lerberghe (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen - Baloise

5. Manuel Belletti (Ita) Wilier Triestina

6. Ramon Sinkeldam (Ned) Team Sunweb

7. Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain-Merida

8. Lasse Norman Hansen (Den) Aqua Blue Sport

9. Kristian Sbaragli (Ita) Dimension Data

10. Roy Jans (Bel) WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect, all same time

Final general classification

1. Ben Hermans (Bel) BMC Racing in 20-56-20

2. Rui Costa (Por) UAE-Abu Dhabi at 22 secs

3. Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana at 35 secs

4. Kudus Merhawi (Eri) Dimension-Data) at 58 secs

5. Tsgabu Grymay (Eth) Bahrain-Merida at 1-12

6. Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale at 1-17

7. Mathias Frank (Sui) AG2R La Mondiale at 1-19

8. Lachlan Morton (Aus) Dimension Data at 1-21

9. Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Bahrain-Merida at 1-33

10. Nathan Haas (Aus) Dimension Data at 1-38

Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale), second to Sky's Chris Froome in the 2016 Tour de France, says that he is "not looking for excuses" even with his crash in the Tour of Oman today.

Without live television and spotty Internet coverage, information was hard to come by at the top of Green Mountain where Froome won in 2013 and 2014. When a signal became strong enough, messages trickled in over race radio that the Frenchman crashed midway the 152-kilometre stage.

Bardet continued. The next update came in direct, when through the valley under the aired and rugged mountains, a lead group of cyclists appeared. Bardet stayed with those until the final kilometre. Merhawi Kudus (Dimension Data) attacked, but Ben Hermans (BMC Racing) countered and won the stage over Fabio Aru (Astana).

>>>Ben Hermans wins Tour of Oman Queen stage to all but secure overall victory

"I don't know," said Bardet when asked if the crash hindered him. "It didn't help, but I'm not looking for excuses either.

"I had pain, it wasn't good. I still tried to look for the win but one kilometre from the finish I felt blocked and it was difficult after that. I tried to attack."

Bardet spoke under the warm, 30C, Omani sunshine poking through thin cloud cover. He dressed in a second jersey to ride downhill.

He finished 10th at 44 seconds behind Hermans, the race leader, and moved to sixth overall. On the same climb at 1200 metres elevation, Grand Tour stars like Froome and Vincenzo Nibali have won.

A handful of journalists leaned in to hear Bardet, who is one of the favourites to take on Froome in the Tour this July. As Bardet talked, he pointed down to his right ankle, where a black greasy chain ring mark had marked his bright white sock during the crash.

"I wasn't sitting at the back. There was a crash and I got caught up in it and went down," Bardet explained. "I took a good blow and though you try not to think about it, afterwards I was sore on the climb."

In cycling where victories are taken thanks to the slightest advantage, any disadvantage can cause one to pay. However, followers should realise that Bardet is building on a long five-month road towards the Tour, where Hermans and others are peaking for the early events.

“It's a day to forget,” Bardet added. "I fought as best I could on the mountain, but with a kilometre to go I was dropped completely. It wasn't too bad up to that point, but the heat affected me a bit and it was difficult.”

Bardet goes from Oman to the Abu Dhabi Tour, where he will face several big stars including Tour rival Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo). These Middle Eastern races will prepare him for the big one in July.

“My sensations haven't been bad all week and I've done a lot work,” he said. "It's still been an important week of work and good training."

The Tour of Oman finishes tomorrow along Muscat's port with a flat stage suited to sprinters.

Ben Hermans (BMC Racing) won stage five of the Tour of Oman on Saturday to all but secure his first ever general classification victory.

The Belgian, who also won stage two, led the race going into the Queen stage by five seconds from Rui Costa (UAE-Abu Dhabi), and he was able to extend his advantage to more than 20 seconds by winning atop Green Mountain.

Fabio Aru (Astana) rolled home in second place, three seconds in arrears, with Costa rounding off the podium 11 second back; it was the third time the Portuguese former world champion has finished in the top-three during this year's race.

The penultimate stage of the race with a flat day tomorrow, it means that 30-year-old Hermans should have wrapped the general classification up, barring any disasters.

>>> Ben Herman's BMC team-mate Daniel Oss: I wanted to ride for the joy of riding… something different than races, training, numbers, Strava, tactics’

Before the day's breakaway was allowed to be formed, the race's peloton was halved by an echelon in the first few kilometres, with the second group - containing Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), no less - 30 seconds adrift at one point.

But the peloton regrouped and permitted the escape of five riders: perennial early season breakaway rider Mark Christian (Aqua Blue), Daniel Diaz (Delko Marseille Provence KTM), Olivier Pardini (WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect), Jonathan Clarke (UnitedHealthcare) and Preben Van Hecke (Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise).

As they extended their lead to 8:35, Romain Bardet (AGR2 La Mondiale), sixth on GC prior to the stage, crashed in the peloton as water from a stream caused slippery conditions on the road.

At the foot of the 5.7km climb of Green Mountain, the breakaway had an advantage of 2:30. However the peloton soon swept them up and Lachlan Morton of Dimension Data was the first to attack, quickly building a lead of 20 seconds.

Eight riders chased the Australian and he was soon caught on the slopes of the mountain that averages a gradient of 10.5 per cent.

Inside the final kilometre, Morton's teammate Kudus Merhawi - just 21 seconds shy off the lead - launched his move, which prompted a response first by Hermans, then Aru and Costa; Bardet, though, was unable to keep pace with the triumvirate.

Hermans caught the Eritrean and charged towards the finish line, with Aru and Costa chasing him closely behind, the former especially digging deep to reign in the race leader. But his efforts were unsuccessful, as Hermans won for the second time in a week to lead by 22 seconds ahead of the final stage on Sunday.

Results

Tour of Oman 2017, stage five: Samail to Jebel Akhdar (Green Mountain) (152.5km)

1. Ben Hermans (Bel) BMC Racing in 4-08-46

2. Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana at 3 secs

3. Rui Costa (Por) UAE-Abu Dhabi at 11 secs

4. Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Bahrain-Merida at 27 secs

5. Kudus Merhawi (Eri) Dimension-Data) at same time

6. Tsgabu Grymay (Eth) Bahrain-Merida at 34 secs.

7. Lachlan Morton (Aus) Dimension Data at 38 secs

8. Mathias Frank (Sui) AG2R La Mondiale at 41 secs

9. Nathan Haas (Aus) Dimension Data at 44 secs

10. Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale at same time.

General classification after stage five

1. Ben Hermans (Bel) BMC Racing in 17-59-17

2. Rui Costa (Por) UAE-Abu Dhabi at 22 secs

3. Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana at 35 secs

4. Kudus Merhawi (Eri) Dimension-Data) at 58 secs

5. Tsgabu Grymay (Eth) Bahrain-Merida at 1-12

6. Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale at 1-17

7. Mathias Frank (Sui) AG2R La Mondiale at 1-19

8. Lachlan Morton (Aus) Dimension Data at 1-21

9. Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Bahrain-Merida at 1-33

10. Nathan Haas (Aus) Dimension Data at 1-38

With the Tour of Oman, Ruta del Sol, and the Volta ao Algarve all taking place this week there's lots for cycling fans to enjoy, but all three races have seen pros take to Twitter to complain about motorbike outriders allowing riders to draft behind them.

The latest complaint came from André Greipel, who complained to the UCI about a motorbike rider letting Primoz Roglic draft behind him in Friday's Volta ao Algarve time trial.

Roglic finished third in the time trial and moved into the overall lead with his performance on the day.

Dan Martin, the man who preceded Roglic as the race leader in Algarve, was one of the other pros to complain about drafting, this time at the Tour of Oman where the Irishman spotted a motorbike giving a tow to the breakaway duo of Mark Christian and Preben Van Hecke.

To complete the set of this week's races, Tosh Van der Sande spotted a similar incident at the Ruta del Sol where a Trek-Segafredo rider was taking full advantage of a motorbike riding too close to the peloton

The complaints come just over a week after the UCI introduced new rules designed at regulating race motorbikes to improve the safety for riders.

According to the new regulations, camera motorcycles should film "from 3/4 in front of the riders [i.e. not directly in front of the riders] and not remain permanently in front of the peloton".

In a time trial there should be "around 100m/150m" gap between the motorbike in front of the rider, and the rider themself.

Katusha-Alpecin's Alexander Kristoff took his second stage win of the 2017 Tour of Oman as he managed to stay in contention over three tough climbs in the final 45km to out-sprint Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Merida) and Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing).

The Norwegian rider had already proved that he was the fastest sprinter in the race with his win on stage one, but today's stage certainly didn't look like one for the fast men on paper.

The climbs close to the finish slimmed down the field significantly, and the final ascent saw an elite group of 15 riders go off the front, including big names such as Fabio Aru (Astana) and Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale).

That group held a small advantage on the fast descent off the climb, but were caught in the flat final few kilometres, before Kristoff proved the fastest in the reduced bunch sprint.

Overall leader Ben Hermans (BMC Racing) finished safely in the front group to hold on to his red jersey.

Stage four of the Tour of Oman saw the largest break of the race with nine riders going clear: Tanel Kangert (Astana), Axel Domont (Ag2r La Mondiale), Stefan Küng (BMC Racing), Anass Ait El Abdia (UAE Abu Dhabi), Bob Jungels (Quick-Step Floors), Stefan Denifl (Aqua Blue Sport), Mike Teunissen (Team Sunweb), Fabien Doubey (Wanty-Groupe Gobert), and Daniel Eaton (UnitedHealthcare).

Despite the number of riders in the break, they were never able to gain more than two minutes on the peloton on the short 112km, and as the race hit the final three climbs of Bousher Al Amerat in the final 43km, the break was reduced to six as first Jungels, then Teunissen and Eaton dropped off the back.

>>> Watch: Tour of Oman highlights

The remnants of the break were caught on the final climb of the day, and no sooner were they brought back into the fold than an elite 15-man group counter-attacked off the front of the peloton, including overall leader Hermans, as well as Fabio Aru and Romain Bardet.

By the top of the climb the front group had 15 seconds on the chasers, and the final few kilometres saw numerous attacks which disrupted the rhythm of the group as they were caught from behind by the peloton.

>>> Six things to look out for at the Tour of Oman

Alexander Kristoff had already proved that he is the fastest sprinter in the race on stage one, and after managing to stay in the peloton over the tough final climbs, he was not going to let this opportunity slip through is fingers, comfortable winning the final sprint for the line.

Saturday will see the climbers have more of an opportunity to take the race by the scruff of the neck, with a summit finish at Jebel Akhdar before the race finishes with another sprint stage on Sunday.

Results

Tour of Oman 2017, stage four: Yiti (Al Sifah) to Ministry of Tourism (118km)

1. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha-Alpecin, in 2-50-29

2. Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain-Merida

3. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing

4. Nathan Haas (Aus) Dimension Data

5. Marko Kump (Slo) UAE Abu Dhabi

6. Kristian Sbaragli (Ita) Dimension Data

7. Benjamin Declercq (Bel Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise

8. Oliver Naesen (Bel) Ag2r La Mondiale

9. Yves Lampaert (Bel) Quick-Step Floors

10. Marco Canola (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini, all at same time

General classification after stage four

1. Ben Hermans (Bel) BMC Racing, in 13-50-41

2. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Abu Dhabi, at 5 secs

3. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana, at 13 secs

4. Merhawi Kudus (Eri), Dimension Data, at 21 secs

5. David de la Cruz (Esp) Quick-Step Floors, at 22 secs

6. Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale, at 23 secs

7. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing, at 24 secs

8. Laurens De Plus (Bel) Quick-Step Floors, at same time

9. Soren Kragh Andersen (Den) Team Sunweb, at same time

10. Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana, at 28 secs

An in-race motorbike rider has been handed a punishment by commissaires for the first time under new UCI convoy rules.

The governing body introduced new rules around vehicles in the race convoy in early February 2017 in an aim to further protect riders, and the rules have been enforced for the first time this week.

The incident took place at the Tour of Oman stage two, and was reported in a communique post race that a TV motorbike rider was punished for non-regulation positioning at the finish of the second stage to Al Bustan, which was won by Ben Hermans (BMC Racing).

The rider, names as Jean-Marie Coteggiani, was handed a punishment that banned him from driving a motorbike in the race convoy on stage three of Oman.

The rules, named as the Guidelines for Vehicle Circulation in the Race Convoy by the UCI, were introduced after a number of incidents forced calls for greater protection of riders.

Belgian Wanty Groupe-Gobert rider Antoine Demoitié died last year after an incident involving a motorbike at the one-day Classic Ghent-Wevelgem. While his compatriot Stig Broeckx (Lotto-Soudal) remains in hospital after a being in a coma having collided with a motorbike at the Tour of Belgium last year.

The new, full guidelines were prepared in conjunction with organisations representing teams, cyclists and race organisers, and seek to make it very clear how drivers of vehicles within a race should behave. Many of the new rules concern how race vehicles should move around the race and position themselves at certain points.

Alexander Kristoff (Katusha-Alpecin) immediately thought of his fallen rival Tom Boonen (Quick Step Floors) after winning the Tour of Oman's stage one to Naseem Park.

Boonen fell in the final kilometre as the teams revved up their engines for the final blast.

>>> Alexander Kristoff sprints to victory on Tour of Oman stage one

Early reports suggest that he touched his front wheel with another rider's rear wheel. He crossed the line with the back of his jersey ripped in several spots and rode to the 25km to the hotel.

"It was on the other side of the road from where I was," Kristoff explained of the crash.

"I heard on the right side there was a crash and heard later it was Tom, which was a pity. For sure he'll try again another day if he's not badly injured."

The Norwegian, who already one once this year in the Etoile de Bessèges, finished ahead of Italians Kristian Sbaragli (Dimension Data) and Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Merida).

Marco Haller kept him out of danger in the final kilometre after Katusha worked earlier in the day.

"I knew it'd be a headwind and very tight with a lot of riders because they sit on the wheel and then they come to the front. I made sure I was on the left side where it was more open," Kristoff added.

Boonen's team "Quick-Step took the right side and waited, and it was really tight. They were unlucky. I think Boonen went down with one kilometre to go.

"He would have made for tough competition in the end, so that was a pity. With the chaos, I'm happy I was able to come to the front without crashing."

Quick Step's sports directors arrived and parked in the adjacent garden. They said that they would not comment because they had not seen the crash, but later confirmed that Boonen would start stage two on Wednesday.

The crash and Kristoff's sprint sparked the tail-end of a quiet day through the rugged Oman countryside dotted occasionally with Simr trees.

After falling sick with a fever in last year Classics, Kristoff hopes to find the form in the desert that allowed him to win the 2014 Milan-San Remo and 2015 Tour of Flanders.

"It's always nice to start with wins. We already managed to get one in Oman on the first day," Kristoff said.

"If we get any more it'll be a bonus and it'll be great. The last stage will be for me, but we have riders for the other stages. We are going to be doing some good training here in Oman and getting ourselves ready for the races to come."

Alexander Kristoff (Katusha-Alpecin) won the opening stage of the Tour of Oman 2017 in a sprint finish ahead of Kristian Sbaragli (Dimension Data) and Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Merida).

It's Kristoff's second win of the season after winning a stage at the Etoile de Bessèges in early February and a good indicator of form as he builds towards Milan-San Remo and the Classics season.

It was bad news for Tom Boonen (Quick-Step) in his final season, as he crashed out of contention for the sprint with 700m to go.

The lack of TV coverage for the race made it difficult for fans to engage with the race, but a sprint finish was always expected on the 176.5km stage and Kristoff duly delivered as he sped ahead of his rivals on the right side of the road on the flat final straight.

It was a fast day on the opening day for the riders in the Oman heat, with five men, Larry Warbasse (Aqua Blue Sport), Aimé de Gendt (Topsport Vlaanderen), Christophe Masson (WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect) and Giuseppe Fonzi (Wilier Triestina) making it into the breakaway early on.

They established a maximum three minute gap on the peloton, covering almost 50km in the first hour of racing. But it never looked likely they would make it to the finish.

De Gendt and Fonzi dropped with 25km to go with the leaders' advantage down to 1-05, and Kristoff's Katusha team did their best to begin reeling the final three in.

They were then finally caught with 10km to go, and the bunch began to wind up for a sprint finish to the day.

Kristoff was then able to lay a marker for the rest of the race, although the next opportunity for a sprint could come on the week's final stage to Matrah Corniche on Sunday.

Wednesday's stage will see the riders tackle several difficult climbs on the 145.5km stage to Al Bustan.

Provisional Results

Tour of Oman 2017, stage one: Al Sawadi Beach to Naseem Park (176.5km)

1. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha-Alpecin, 3-46-29

2. Kristian Sbaragli (Ita) Dimension Data

3. Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain-Merida

4. Lasse Norman Hansen (Den) Aqua Blue Sport

5. Lucas Sebatian Haedo (Arg) UnitedHealthcare

6. Jakub Mareczko (Ita) Wilier Triestina

7. Roy Jans (Bel) WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect

8. Benjamin Giraud (Fra) Delko Marseille Provence KTM

9. Sacha Modolo (Ita) UAE-Abu Dhabi

10. Manuel Belletti (Ita) Willier Triestina, all same time

Overall classification after stage one

1. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha-Alpecin

2. Kristian Sbaragli (Ita) Dimension Data

3. Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain-Merida

4. Lasse Norman Hansen (Den) Aqua Blue Sport

5. Lucas Sebatian Haedo (Arg) UnitedHealthcare

6. Jakub Mareczko (Ita) Wilier Triestina

7. Roy Jans (Bel) WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect

8. Benjamin Giraud (Fra) Delko Marseille Provence KTM

9. Sacha Modolo (Ita) UAE-Abu Dhabi

10. Manuel Belletti (Ita) Willier Triestina

Alexander Kristoff’s dominance in the sprints at both Middle East in the last two weeks made him the favourite to win today’s final stage at the Tour of Oman and he duly delivered. Despite being out of position the Katusha rider’s won the bunch sprint with some ease, taking his second win of the race and his fifth in two weeks.

Also predictably, Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) wrapped up the general classification, his performance on the stage three climb of Green Mountain the difference between him and Romain Bardet in second place, just 15 seconds back on the general classification.

The final stage of the Tour of Oman, a 130.5km route between The Wave, Muscat, and Matrah Corniche, was no processional ride through the city streets designed for a certain spent finish.

Prior to racing the finishing circuit, the peloton tackled the two climbs which had so effectively shredded the peloton on stage one, when Luxemburger Bob Jungels (Etixx-Quickstep) claimed the first red jersey of the week.

>>> Tour of Oman 2016: Latest news, reports and info

However, with a descent and three laps of a 7.5km circuit along the corniche to conclude the race, the peloton was always likely to reform.

After an extremely aggressive start, where an number of groups tried and failed to get away, after 18km of aggressive racing a group of six riders finally made it clear of the peloton: Sébastien Minard (Ag2r), Gregor Mühlberger (Bora-Argon 18), Gianni Meersman (Etixx-QuickStep), Pieter Vanspeybrouck (Topsport Vlaanderen), Daniel Eaton (UnitedHealthcare), Jaroslaw Marycz (CCC Sprandi Polkowice).

They were eventually joined by Jesper Asselman (Roompot), a regular in breaks throughout this and the race in Qatar, and constructed a lead of two minutes 30 seconds.

With a long descent followed by three laps of a 7.5km circuit along the corniche, the climbs were raced differently to Stage one and the peloton stayed together.

The break was eventually caught on the final lap, after which BMC attacked on a small climb, succeeding in troubling Kristoff.

“We were a little bit behind,” the Norwegian explained. “But Marco [Haller] brought us from 2k all the way to 500 metres to the front and Jacopo [Guarnieri] brought me to 200 metres. When you are delivered with this speed in this position it’s not too difficult to win.”

“This race is race is not a small one, it is a Hors category race, so it is always good to win here.”

Nibali had been the pre race favourite and his general classification victory puts him on course in his preparation for a second Giro d’Italia victory this May. “My goal was to do a good race,” he told us. “I am happy, because in other years I was not ready until later in the season, but now I want to win earlier.”

Britain's Mark McNally (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) finished the race in 95th place overall, 32-04 adrift of Nibali.

Results

Tour of Oman 2016, stage six: The Wave Muscat to Matrah Corniche, 130.5km

1. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha

2. Zico Waeytens (Bel) Giant-Alpecin

3. Søren Kragh Andersen (Den) Giant-Alpecin

4. Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel) LottoNL-Jumbo

5. Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora-Argon 18

6. Roy Jans (Bel) Wanty-Groupe-Gobert

7. Amaury Capiot (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen

8. Marko Kump (Slo) Lampre-Merida

9. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data

10. Marco Canola (Ita) UnitedHealthcare all same time

Final general classification

1. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana

2. Romain Bardet (Fra) FDJ at 15 secs

3. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana at 24 secs

4. Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Giant-Alpecin at 40 secs

5. Rui Costa (Por) Lampre-Merida at 54 secs

6. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data at 1-06

7. Brendan Canty (Aus) Drapac Pro Cycling at 1-31

8. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Ag2r La Mondiale at 1-38

9. Merhawi Kudus (Eri) Dimension Data at 1-56

10. Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Etixx-QuickStep at 1-59

Dimension Data today once again proved they will be a force to be reckoned with this season when Edvald Boasson Hagen won stage five of the 2016 Tour of Oman.

The Norwegian sprinted clear of a small group for his second victory of the race and the team’s sixth of he season so far, including Boasson Hagen’s time trial win at the Tour of Qatar.

Race leader Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and fellow GC hopeful Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale), who sat in second, finished the stage safely with the same time as the winner to retain their places on GC.

Though yesterday’s mountain top finish at Green Mountain was the decisive stage of the week, today’s 119.5km race between Yiti and the Ministry of Tourism was a severe test for the peloton and further defined the classification.

Beginning in a tiny seaside village, the peloton set off on a narrow road through jagged brown rocky peaks, the road littered with numerous short, very steep climbs, before heading towards Muscat.

There was, however, no let up in the climbing on the more major roads, which passed though the mountains behind the city. There were then three ascents of Bousher Al Amerat, a climb used on stage two, which Boasson Hagen also won, before the peloton headed into the city.

Shortly after the start three riders, Hugo Houle (AG2R), Pieter Weening (Roompot) and Boasson Hagen’s South African team mate, Jacques Janse van Rensburg broke clear of the pack, building a lead which at one stage was over six minutes.

As the three riders made their first ascent of Bousher Al Amerat that gap had reduced to 4-20 and, though Houle was dropped on the climb, the remaining two worked hard to stay away.

Behind them the peloton was whittled down by the climbing, leaving under 40 riders in the peloton going into the final, among them Boasson Hagen and race leader Nibali. The leading duo managed to resist the peloton well, but were eventually caught with only two kilometres remaining.

“About four or five kilometres to go I started to think about what I am going to do on the sprint,” Van Rensburg said. “I didn’t help Pieter in the break because Edvald was in the group behind, so I was getting ready when I saw they were just behind us.

It had been the team tactical plan for Van Rensburg to be in the break: “I am only four minutes down on GC,” he told us. “It puts a bit of pressure to keep the tempo quite high in the bunch so that it suited Edvald quite well up the climbs. It definitely worked out in the end with Edvald winning, so I am really happy about that.”

With four other Dimension Data riders able to lead Boasson-Hagen out in the final, the Norwegian dominated the sprint, finishing ahead of Greg Van Avermaet (BMC).

As for Van Rensburg, he starts tomorrow’s final stage wearing the most aggressive rider jersey having hoovered the maximum available points today. With a lead of 12 points he will win the polka dot jersey proving he finishes tomorrow.

Stage six covers 130.5 km between The Wave Muscat and Matrah Corniche after which the winner of the Tour of Oman will be presented his red jersey.

Result

Tour of Oman stage five, Yiti (Al Sifah) - Ministry of Tourism (119.5km):

1. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data, in 3-05-32

2. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC

3. Marco Canola (Ita) United HealthCare

4. Simone Ponzi (Ita) CCC Sprandi

5. Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Etixx-QuickStep

6. Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Stolting Service Group

7. Erik Sven Bystrom (Nor) Katusha

8. Adam Phelan (Aus) Drapac

9. Marco Marcato (Ita) Wanty - Groupe Gobert

10. Nathan Haas (Aus) Dimensions Data, all same time

Others

12. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana, st

14. Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale, st

General Classfication after stage five

1. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana, 19-24-07

2. Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale, at 15 secs

3. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana, at 24 secs

4. Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Giant-Alpecin, 40 secs

5. Rui Costa (Por) Lampre-Merida, at 54 secs

6. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor), at 1-06

7. Brendan Canty (Aus) Drapac, at 1-31

8. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Ag2r La Mondiale, at 1-38

9. Merhawi Kudus (Eri) Dimension Data, at 1-41

10. Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Etixx-QuickStep, at 1-59

Before today Tom Dumoulin knew very little about Green Mountain, the final climb of Friday’s stage at the Tour of Oman. He had checked the road book and seen it online, but as a debutant at the race, he had never ridden it. After that one ascent, he knows it better and we know more about the potential of this 25-year-old Dutchman.

“It’s hard,” he said, at the finish, catching his breath and wiping sweat from his eyes. “The whole climb was hard and with the heat definitely.” His fourth place, just 18 seconds behind stage winner Vincenzo Nibali, illustrated perfectly that potential, especially as this was his first competitive outing of the year.

In good position from the start, the Dutchman paced himself intelligently throughout.

“I tried to follow a little bit,” he explained. “I did not do the whole climb at exactly the same power, but I tried to. I was not able to follow the stronger attacks, so I decided not to do that.

“In the last two kilometres my power dropped down, but then I came closer to the front, so I think everyone blew up a little bit in the first heat of the year. I was never able to win, but I was close and that is good. After a long winter of doing only endurance and a few efforts, I’m happy to race again, it doesn’t feel nice when you’re doing it, but this is what I like, why I started cycling.”

Dumoulin announced himself as a Grand Tour contender at last year’s Vuelta a España initially out sprinting Chris Froome (Team Sky) in the mountain top finish at Cumbre del Sol Benitachell, then standing fast in subsequent days. With few team members able to help him in the mountains, he managed to keep the red jersey until the penultimate stage, when finally the pressure told and he finished sixth overall.

Despite such success, Dumoulin has stated his intention to delay any assault on three week tours until next year, choosing instead to concentrate on time trialling. The hilly course at Rio should shout his abilities and it is there he is hoping for success.

Before then, however, there are three time trials at this year’s Giro d’Italia, the first of which is in the Netherlands on May 5. Should he win there he will be able to wear the maglia rosa on his home roads.

In preparation he will race at next month’s Paris-Nice, where the 6.1 km test may be too short for him, though he is happy with his form.

It was an impressive performance on Green Mountain, especially as it is his first race of the year. With such form so early and over 50 km of time trialling at this year’s Giro, Dumoulin could well make the podium in Turin on May 21.

Vincenzo NIbali (Astana) won Friday's’s stage four of the Tour of Oman atop the brutal climb of Green Mountain, where he battled for victory with Romain Bardet (Ag2r).

The pair broke clear from a select group in the final kilometre of the ascent, with Nibali’s power in the final few metres enough to claim the race leader’s jersey, with leader at the start Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data) being dropped early on the climb.

The 180km course, which began at the Knowledge Oasis Muscat, was billed as the Queen stage and lived up to expectations. Once off the highways which constituted the early kilometres, the course rolled unforgivingly through beautiful desert mountains. If the terrain was not enough to sap early season legs, then the 27º heat and nagging wind ensured no one arrived at the foot of the Green Mountain fresh.

In an attempt to defend the most aggressive rider classification he leads, Kenny de Haes, made the first move of the day, immediately breaking clear with one of his Wanty-Groupe Gobert team mates. However they were unable to gain any more than a 15 second advantage and were soon caught, allowing a group of ten to escape and form the break of the day.

That break built a lead in excess of four minutes, but were always under control of a pack led by the favourites’ teams, and was caught with just under eight kilometres to go, at the foot of Green Mountain. The road veers up sharply and as soon as it did, the peloton began to shatter and an elite group formed.

With four kilometres to ride, and the toughest part of the climb yet to come Gianluca Brambilla (Etixx-Quickstep) launched an attack but failed to gan a significant advantage and, as the remaining riders entered the final two kilometres, he was dropped and just five riders remained.

Nibali now leads the general classification by six seconds ahead of Bardet with two stages left. Tomorrow’s 119.5km stage between Yiti and the Ministry of Tourism near Muscat has four tough climbs and is likely to see the main contender fighting once again.

Result

Tour of Oman stage four, Knowledge Oasis Muscat - Jabal Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain) (177km):

1. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana, in 4-25-48

2. Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale, at 9 secs

3. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana, at 12 secs

4. Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Giant - Alpecin, at 18 secs

5. Rui Costa (Por) Lampre-Merida, at 38 secs

6. Merhawi Kudus (Eri) Dimension Data, at 43 secs

7. George Bennett (NZl) LottoNL-Jumbo, st

8. Brendan Canty (Aus) Drapac, at 45 secs

9. Floris de Tier (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen, at 1-08

10. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data, at 1-10

General Classification

1. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana, in 16-18-35

2. Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale, at 15 secs

3. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana, at 24 secs

4. Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Giant - Alpecin, at 40 secs

5. Rui Costa (Por) Lampre-Merida, at 54 secs

6. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data, at 1-16

7. Brendan Canty (Aus) Drapac, at 1-31

8. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Ag2r La Mondiale, at 1-38

9. Merhawi Kudus (Eri) Dimension Data, at 1-41

10. Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Etixx - QuickStep, at 1-59

Full report to follow

Richie Porte began 2016 seemingly in good form, winning the Tour Down Under stage to Willunga Hill for the third consecutive season. That victory put him second on general classification bestowing on him the tag of favourite for the Tour of Oman this week.

However, the 31-year-old Australian currently sits over nine minutes behind race leader Edvald Boasson Hagen but tomorrow’s 180km stage, which culminates with the ascent of Green Mountain, is one that both suits him and which he has his eye on.

Porte has been notable by his absence this week, especially in yesterday’s stage, an uphill finish some thought would work to his advantage. However, Porte was dropped in a crosswind section and was nowhere to be seen in the final, despite some of the other GC contenders such as Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and Domenico Pozzovivo (Ag2r) showing well.

To make things worse, Porte’s lack of willingness to explain the losses after the event fuelled rumours that all was not well at the star-studded BMC team he joined this season. Before today’s stage, Porte moved to dispel those rumours, telling reporters all was well under control.

“I said at the first press conference that this was just a pit-stop on the way to Europe,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s Oman and you pick your battles this year a bit better than I did last year, and my next battle is Paris-Nice.”

The French race is one Porte has won twice and he would naturally wish to go well there again, although he is looking further ahead.

>>> BMC aiming to give Richie Porte programme for Tour success

“I’m not sure how many peaks I can do, but I think this year it’s two peaks, one around Romandie and one around the Tour. It’s early in the season, I don't think you can target every race on the way to the Tour, especially not this time.”

Last year, with the Giro as his ambition for the year, Porte’s form was higher in February, following his Willunga Hill victory with a stage win and fourth overall at the Volta ao Algarve. In 2016, with his sights set well into spring, training has been less intense.

“I’ve been back in Tasmania since about Christmas time and just rode my bike,” he explained. “At the Tour Down Under I thought I was under done, but I was good. I think it’s a lot easier to be motivated there than it is in Oman. For what? Why would you come here and risk everything?”

Watch: Secrets of the toolbox - BMC

At 7.5 kilometres, tomorrow’s ascent of Green Mountain is longer than in previous years and Porte rates it up there with the hardest in the sport. “It’s almost Zoncolan. It’s a hard solid climb. I’m not sure, but it’d be nice to have a bit of a show there.”

With a nine-minute deficit on the general classification leaders, an overall win is out of Porte’s reach, though with a point to prove, expect his red BMC jersey to be up there with the leaders.

Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) powered to win the bunch sprint at the end of stage three of the 2016 Tour of Oman on Thursday.

Widely tipped as the favourite to take the victory on the stage, 2015 Tour of Flanders winner Kristoff lived up to expectation by taking the stage ahead of Moreno Hofland (LottoNL-Jumbo), and Roy Jans (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) in third.

It's Kristoff's fourth victory of the season so far, after he won three stages of the Tour of Qatar.

Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data) finished safely in 10th place to retain the overall race lead.

The remnants of the day's five-rider escape group were caught within the last 10 kilometres after Dimension Data and Katusha drove the chase to set up a bunch-sprint finish.

>>> Tour of Oman 2016: Latest news, reports and info

Unusually for the Tour of Oman, the stage was punctuated by several heavy rainstorms, causing the riders to cross the line in a state more akin to early-season races in Europe than the Middle East.

The 2016 Tour of Oman continues on Friday with the 'queen stage' to Green Mountain, the usually decisive climb that shakes up the general classification. The race concludes on Sunday, February 21.

Results

Tour of Oman 2016, stage three

1. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha

2. Moreno Hofland (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo

3. Roy Jans (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert

4. Mike Teunissen (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo

5. Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) BMC Racing

6. Zico Waeytens (Bel) Giant-Alpecin

7. Berden De Vries (Ned) Roompot-Oranje Peloton

8. Robin Stenuit (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert

9. Daniel Oss (Ita) BMC Racing

10. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data all same time

General classification after stage three

1. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data

2. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana at 4 secs

3. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing at 6 secs

4. Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale at 6 secs

5. Serge Pauwels (Bel) Dimension Data at 8 secs

6. Rui Costa (Por) Lampre-Merida at 10 secs

7. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana at 10 secs

8. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Ag2r La Mondiale at 10 secs

9. Davide Rebellin (Ita) CCC Sprandi Polkowice at 10 secs

10. Patrick Conrad (Aut) Bora-Argon 18 at 16 secs

Just a week ago Edvald Boasson Hagen stood on the Tour of Qatar podium wearing the race leader’s jersey having won the day’s time trial stage. Today, he did exactly the same in the Tour of Oman, with a performance which illustrated not only his sheer class but of the spirit being generated within the Dimension Data team.

The stage was a relatively routine one for the peloton; an escape going out fairly early to mop up some of the intermediate sprint and mountains points, the main contenders behind, safe in the knowledge the day’s action would come nearer the finish.

With about 25km to go cross winds hit the peloton and, under pressure from BMC and Katusha the bunch split into smaller groups. “We felt that maybe it was going to split there but I didn’t think anyone would take it up,” Boasson Hagen said.

>>> Edvald Boasson Hagen wins Tour of Oman stage two to take race lead

Road captain for the team takes up the story, “Luckily we were in a good position, we had almost the whole team there, so we were able to kind of surf on the side and jump in when we saw there was a split.”

With a selection made, the final climb became the team’s focus. “Towards the climb we noticed that guys like Jungels were already hurting,” Australian Nathan Haas told us.

“We knew we could spit him by going hard at the bottom of the climb. It was for the [leader’s] jersey and we just committed. The four of us just took long pulls on the climb until we were dead. Then you hear that Eddy finishes it off is just awesome.”

The luck of which Farrar spoke can only get you so far, however. Team director Roger Hammond left the race 50km before the finish and drove the finish five times, relaying information to the team. By the time the riders reached the bottom of the 2.8km climb they had a mind map of every bend and ramp.

It is, however, the spirit of togetherness and sacrifice which emanates from the team which made the win.

“It’s a team of people with superstar ability maybe not realised on other squads,” Haas explained.

“But they’re all riding together with a cause and you feel this energy. I really wanted Eddy to win today, and it’s normally a stage that I would have a crack on, but when you’ve got this mass energy it’s something you don’t think about. It’s what I think will make us one of the biggest teams in the World.”

Watch: Pro bike - Edvald Boasson Hagen's Cervelo

A day after winning the gold leader’s jersey in Qatar last week Boasson Hagen lost it following a double puncture. “It’s really good it’s good feeling to have it back,” he said. “It’s a different race, but good that I could have some luck again in some races and have a victory.”

Misfortune robbed Boasson Hagen of overall victory last week but he admitted today’s climb was on his limit and Friday’s ascent of Green Mountain is both longer and steeper. While that is a major barrier to overall victory in Oman, with today’s win the 28-year-old Norwegian has once again proved his class.

Edvald Boasson Hagen won today’s stage of the 2016 Tour of Oman with a well-timed uphill sprint which also puts him into the race leader’s jersey.

The Norwegian’s Dimension Data team maintained control on the final climb, placing him the perfect position to launch his sprint on the uphill finish, the first of two at this week’s race.

A section of crosswinds in the lead up to the climb served to split the peloton, leaving a select group to battle for the victory. An average gradient of 6.8 per cent over the 2.8km climb did not tell the full story as steeper ramps further split the group on the approach to the line.

Yesterday’s stage winner, red jersey wearer, Bob Jungels (Etixx-QuckStep) was dropped within the final two kilometres, ceding the jersey to Boasson Hagen, and now sits in 19th place, 51 seconds down.

The day’s racing began at the Omantel company offices, west of Muscat and covered 162km to the summit finish at Quriyat.

>>> Tour of Oman 2016: Latest news, reports and race info

A group of six riders, including Kenny Dehaes (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) and Christoph Pfingsten (Bora-Argon 18), both is yesterday’s break, escaped in the first few kilometres. By the time they reached the top of the first climb, after 33km, their lead had grown to over three minutes.

After some discord in the escape, three riders attacked to ride on their own. That group, Christoph Kamp (Stölting), Jesper Asselman (Roompot) and Pierre-Luc Perichon (Fortuneo-Vital Concept) were eventually caught in the final 30km as the leading teams set up the final.

 Video - Edvald Boasson Hagen's custom Cervelo S5

Notable by his absence as the stage came to its climax was Richie Porte (BMC), who was dropped in the crosswind section. The Australian was late arriving in Oman after flight delays, but has apparently come to the race for training following the Australian summer, and is aiming to defend the Paris-Nice title he won when riding for Team Sky last year.

Results

Tour of Oman 2016, stage two: Omantel Head Office to Quriyat, 162km

1. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data

2. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana

3. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing

4. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Ag2r La Mondiale

5. Davide Rebellin (Ita) CCC Sprandi Polkowice

6. Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Etixx-QuickStep

7. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana

8. Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale

9. Rui Costa (Por) Lampre-Merida

10. Serge Pauwels (Bel) Dimension Data all same time

General classification after stage two

1. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data

2. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana at 4 secs

3. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing at 6 secs

4. Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale at 6 secs

5. Serge Pauwels (Bel) Dimension Data at 8 secs

6. Davide Rebellin (Ita) CCC Sprandi Polkowice at 10 secs

7. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Ag2r La Mondiale at 10 secs

8. Rui Costa (Por) Lampre-Merida at 10 secs

9. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana at 10 secs

10. Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Giant-Alpecin at 16 secs

Reaching three-figure speeds isn't uncommon for riders descending mountains, but Bob Jungels (Ettix-Quick Step) hit the century on a short descent in his solo win at the Tour of Oman.

Jungels powered away from the select group he found himself in in the last three kilometres, using his phenomenal time trialling ability to solo to the line.

The Luxembourg champion's Strava statistics show the phenomenal power he put down as he got his head down and sped to the line, averaging over 350W for the last three kilometres.

As he crested the final climb - travelling at over 50kph, Jungels then sped away from his chasers, reaching 101.2kph on the steep, but not technical, descent, even though he wasn't pedalling for much of it.

Unsurprisingly, Jungels claimed the KoM on the Strava segment of the descent - named Fat Freddy's Drop - beating BMC's Marcus Burghardt.

Jungels said he'd been planning that attack for a few days, and it certainly paid off in the best possible way.

Bob Jungels’s win on the opening day of the Tour of Oman today was no fluke. The 23-year-old had targeted the stage before even arriving in Oman and, when his Etixx-QuickStep team checked the route yesterday, he knew he had what it took.

This morning in the team meeting he announced his intention to win, and knowing the final four kilometres were downhill, he asked the mechanic to fit a 55-tooth chainring to his bike.

>>> Bob Jungels wins Tour of Oman stage one as contenders put up early fight

Most professional cyclists at this standard are confident in their own ability, but not all get to show it, especially when, like Jungels, you are the new boy and second youngest.

Not noted for his climbing, the Luxembourg rider found himself cresting the final climb in company of the likes of Dan Martin and Vincenzo Nibali, before making full use of that massive gear descending to the victory.

"It’s a climb that suits me, it’s not too steep and Astana were setting a good pace," he said at the finish. "I told the mechanics to put a 55 tooth [chainring] in front because I planned this attack for two days, even longer."

Jungels is one of three newcomers to the team with a win this year. Dan Martin took a stage of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and Marcel Kittel won two stages and the general classification in Dubai earlier this month. Martin was impressed with Jungels, but believes the team environment helps.

"He’s so talented and relatively young,” the Irishman explained. “He had the confidence this morning to say, 'guys I’m going to this,' and he did exactly what he said he was going to do. He won. That shows the atmosphere in this team, all the wins we’ve had, it just breeds confidence and we’re on a roll."

>>> Bob Jungels sent the wrong way while leading stage three in Valencia (video)

Jungels agrees: “The atmosphere is great and you really see it’s a different style of racing,” he explained.

"There is a very high level in the team. If you look at Valencia for every stage we had somebody who cold win, and it is the same here. There’s always a really good reason to work and to be motivated at the start, and I think the style of riding suits me much better, being more aggressive in the race."

Watch: Racing news - Tom Boonen

Though not anonymous at his previous team, Trek Factory Racing, it appears the style of racing and freedom to perform is helping Jungels.

"Maybe we were a GC team, maybe we had a different style of riding, but I was also not so confident," he explained. "I have more confidence here I don’t know if it comes from the team or if it just because I am growing and I’m getting stronger."

Despite a recent opportunity to win in Valencia, where he followed a race motorbike off course whilst leading, that confidence remains. However, it remains to be seen whether Jungels can maintain his lead, let alone limit his losses on Friday’s ascent of Green Mountain and win the red jersey he will wear tomorrow.

Luxembourg road champion Bob Jungels (Etixx-QuickStep) will start tomorrow’s stage of the 2016 Tour of Oman wearing the leader’s red jersey after winning today’s opening stage at Al Bustan.

The 23-year-old attacked a group of 16 riders with two kilometres to ride, finishing six seconds ahead of Belgian Serge Pauwels (Dimension Data) and Romain Bardet (Ag2r) at eight seconds.

>>> Tour of Oman 2016: Latest news, reports and previews

The 145.5km stage set off from the Oman Exhibition Centre and, after a frantic few kilometres a group of six riders escaped the peloton, and by kilometre 15 had built a lead in excess of six minutes, before the bunch took control, keeping the advantage to a manageable distance.

The course took the race into the mountains south of the capital Muscat on wide, multi-lane carriageways with mostly gentle gradients before heading back towards Muscat.

By the time time the escapees crossed the first intermediate sprint point their lead was down to three minutes and five seconds and their fate was sealed, the peloton finally swallowing them at the foot of the first categorised climb at Al Hamriyah. It was here the action started, with a number of attacks going clear before being brought to heel.

The final 1800-metre climb saw a select group form, containing Jungels and team-mate Dan Martin, along with the likes of Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin) and former World champion Rui Costa (Lampe-Merida).

It was on the descent from the final climb that Jungels attacked the remaining riders, staying clear on the final short incline to the finish line.

Tomorrow’s stage takes the peloton on a 165km course between the Omantel Head Office and Quriyat

Result

Tour of Oman 2016, stage one: Oman Exhibition Centre to Al Bustan, 145.5km

1. Bob Jungels (Lux) Etixx-QuickStep

2. Serge Pauwels (Bel) Dimension Data at 6 secs

3. Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r at 8 secs

4. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data

5. Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Giant-Alpecin

6. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing

7. Mario Costa (Por) Lampre-Merida

8. Davide Rebellin (Ita) CCC Sprandi Polkowice

9. Floris De Tier (Bel) Topsport-Vlaanderen

10. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana at same time

General classification after stage one

1. Bob Jungels (Lux) Etixx-QuickStep

2. Serge Pauwels (Bel) Dimension Data at 10 secs

3. Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r at 14 secs

4. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data at 18 secs

5. Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Giant-Alpecin at 18 secs

6. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing at 18 secs

7. Mario Costa (Por) Lampre-Merida at 18 secs

8. Davide Rebellin (Ita) CCC Sprandi Polkowice at 18 secs

9. Floris De Tier (Bel) Topsport-Vlaanderen at 18 secs

10. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana at 18 secs

Giant-Alpecin’s Tom Dumoulin confirmed the Olympic Games time trial will be his main focus for 2016, dispelling rumours he would attempt to win the Giro d'Italia in May.

Talking ahead of the Tour of Oman, where he begins his season on Tuesday, the 25-year-old told reporters he would postpone any Grand Tour attempts for a year.

It had been thought the former Dutch time trial champion would challenge for the Giro, which this year has more time trialling than is usual for the Italian race. This was reinforced by his performance in the mountain’s of last year’s Vuelta a España where he relinquished the leader’s red jersey only on the penultimate stage, eventually finishing sixth.

“I will start the Giro, but my expectation is not for GC, but for time trials,” he said. “After a Vuelta like that you would immediately go for GC in Grand Tours, but I decided to postpone that for one year and keep focussing on time trials.

>>> Tom Dumoulin and the 2016 Giro d’Italia could be a perfect match

"The Olympics are only once every four years and it’s not often that I find a time trial that suits me really well. So maybe my next chance will never come. Rio is also very much up hill, so I really need to focus on my weight and my climbing also.”

The Dutch national team visited Rio late last year, but Dumoulin was on holiday and did not attend. Though he has only see the course on video, he does not think that will be a problem: "I went to see the course in Utrecht before the Tour de France, and I have to say that it didn’t really help me," he said.

"The organisation of the Tour in Utrecht completely blocked it with motorcycles and I had a free go on the course, but I could not get that same race feeling. It’s just about getting an impression and it’s a long trip to make it to Rio to get an impression. I will be there one week before at least and then I will have time.”

>>> Vincenzo Nibali and Tom Dumoulin among big names to ride Tour of Oman

Tuesday’s first stage in Oman is Dumoulin’s first race of the season and, although he would like to perform well, he is not too worried this early in the year.

"I hope my shape is good enough to really compete," he said. "We don’t really have a GC goal that we really stress about, I think there will be a lot more stressful moments in the season.

"I had a look on the internet and it’s hard," he said of the course. "There’s one sprinter’s stage and the rest has some tricky moments in the final and two uphill finishes. But that’s good for me, I’m not here to sprint."

The Dutchman also played down expectations for the team this spring following the training camp crash in Spain last month.

>>> Tour of Oman 2016: Latest news, previews and reports

"We not only have the six riders that crashed out, but more with some injuries," he explained. "If you count the riders that can really do races, it’s not a lot. We had to make some changes in programmes of some riders and it’s definitely difficult."

Dumoulin also added that most of those injured have now either returned to training on the road or on an indoor trainer. Giant-Alpecin will field six riders rather than the eight of other teams in the Tour of Oman.

Former Hour Record holder Matthias Brändle admitted he had doubts about his form ahead of powering to win this afternoon’s final Tour of Oman stage along the Matrah Corniche.

Brändle (IAM Cycling) attacked from a four-rider breakaway in the final three kilometres, and successfully pursuited to the finish to hold off Iljo Keisse (Etixx-Quick Step).

“Today was important for me – the last six or seven days, I was questioning myself because my body was not working,” he said.

“I had good feelings at home in training, but the last stages were hard. I couldn’t put any power through the pedals.

“My body hasn’t worked the same as normal in the 40°C. So yesterday, when I saw the forecast for today said the temperature would go down to 30°C, I looked at the stage’s profile and map and I started dreaming about winning it."

Brändle said he realised the group would stay away when it entered the final 50 kilometres with an advantage of nine minutes over a nonplussed peloton, but the presence of Keisse in the group meant he did not want to take his chances in a sprint finish.

“I was afraid [of Keisse], that’s why I attacked,” he added. “I saw he was suffering on the last climb, so I thought ‘don’t take a risk, try and drop him before the finish’. “

The 25-year-old Austrian rider compared his victory here to the two he took on consecutive days in last year’s Tour of Britain into Exeter and Hemel Hempstead.

He said: “In the breakaway, the feeling was the same as it was in Britain: we had strong riders, we worked together.

“I told them we had to work together and not go too hard in the climbs. In the end I was lucky to be the strongest.”

Sean Yates returned to direct Tinkoff-Saxo at this week's Tour of Oman after a two-year break from the WorldTour since he left Team Sky at the end of 2012.

The British former professional rider explained that he could not refuse the offer to work for the Tinkoff squad, but that he would rather not speak about Sky or 'zero tolerance'.

"Chris Froome's Tour de France win? I watched everything. My life is cycling, it has been for 40 years," Yates told Cycling Weekly about his time off from the top level of cycling after leaving Sky.

"I was able to look after my children. My sons ride, they are 21 and 18. I coached them. I had a big transit van, and we went to races and trips to watch the Tour two years running.

“The Tinkoff-Saxo offer was not one I could turn down, really. If I turned it down, then it'd definitely be over for me."

The 54-year-old Englishman joined the Russian/Danish team of Oleg Tinkov and Bjarne Riis over the winter. He will coach Chris Anker Sørensen and Bruno Pires, and direct teams at Paris-Nice, País Vasco, the Ardennes Classics and, of course, the Tour of Oman.

>>> Sean Yates and Bobby Julich head to Tinkoff-Saxo for 2015

"I'm not on Alberto Contador's schedule, that's Steven de Jongh," he added, "but I'm down to do the Tour with Steven and Alberto."

His last Tour de France as a sports director in 2012 was a success. He helped direct Sky's Bradley Wiggins to the win, the first British overall winner in history, and Chris Froome to second place. That autumn, however, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) ruled on Lance Armstrong and Yates was caught in the web.

Yates rode alongside Armstrong from 1992 to 1996 in team Motorola and helped direct the Discovery Channel team when Armstrong won the 2005 Tour and in 2009 for team Astana, where he placed third overall. The agency used photos of him in its evidence to identify drug carrier 'Motoman'. It said that Armstrong doped through 2011, but Yates explained at the time that he had no idea.

Sky cleaned house that winter. Race Coach Bobby Julich and Sports Director Steven de Jongh admitted to using EPO in their careers and resigned. The team announced that Yates, its senior sports director, left for "purely personal reasons".

"I'm not commenting on anything to do with Sky or Lance Armstrong," Yates said on Thursday.

"I don't know," he added when asked about zero-tolerance's feasibility in cycling. "I'm not going to comment on that or anything controversial because every time I do, it hits the headlines."

He explained that he understands that some people may frown on his decision to join team Tinkoff. The team in neon yellow consists of several riders and staff who admitted doping or wrong-doing, or served suspensions: Team Manager Bjarne Riis, Roman Kreuziger and Contador, respectively.

"I decided to come to it," said Yates. "I believe the team is going in the right direction."

Besides Yates, the team hired former Sky men Michael Rogers, Julich and de Jongh.

"I worked with Bjarne before. Julich and de Jongh too. Julich left BMC, he didn't like it there so he came to Tinkoff with [head of sports science] Dan Healey," Yates said.

"Guys like Mick Rogers, who'd been at Sky, saw how Sky worked, and the general feeling was that Tinkoff-Saxo had to step up on the DS/coach front, and move forward because they were lagging a bit."

Yates spoke for 10 minutes while his riders prepared for the third stage. For many, including Yates and star cyclist Peter Sagan, the Tour of Oman marks the start of a new year and adventure in Tinkoff's yellow.

"Everyone's a bit nervous because you've been away for a while and you're starting fresh," Yates continued.

"It's been a little bit daunting, but at the end of the day, it's only bike riding. I feel I've slipped into the position well, apart from yesterday when I overslept, and 'Huffy' [Tristan Hoffman] thought I died and had to break into my room!"

Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing) won stage two of the Tour of Oman, and takes over overall leadership of the race in the process.

The Swiss rider managed to win the sprint ahead of Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) among a small group of riders who made it to the line together, after the race had been split on the final climb.

Among those to finish in this lead group were Filippo Pozzato (Lampre-Merida), Rafal Majka and Peter Sagan (both Tinkoff-Saxo), although the latter may be disappointed to have not won the sprint having made the selection.

Sky’s leader Leopold Konig was dropped on the climb, along with other big names Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) and Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha), all of whom appear to be out of contention for the overall. Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) also lost time, coming home 46 seconds behind Cancellara.

Earlier, a break of four featuring Jef Van Meirhaeghe, Preben Van Hecke (both Topsport Vlaanderen), Gatis Smukulis (Katusha) and Enrico Barbin (Bardiana-CSF) – before he suffered an unfortunate puncture and dropped back to the bunch – had broken clear, but were caught with just over ten kilometres to go.

After today’s lively stage tomorrow is likely to be a straightforward bunch sprint, with no categorised climbs for the riders to tackle.

>>> Tour of Oman route: Stage by stage

Results

Tour of Oman 2015, stage two: Al Hazm Castle to Al Bustan, 195km

1. Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Trek Factory Racing

2. Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar

3. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing

4. Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Lampre-Merida

5. Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo

6. Julien Arredondo (Col) Trek Factory Racing

7. Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo

8. Daniel Moreno (Spa) Katusha

9. Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Astana

10. Cameron Meyer (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge all same time

Overall classification after stage two

1. Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Trek Factory Racing

2. Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar at 4 secs

3. Patrick Konrad (Aut) Bora-Argon 18 at 5 secs

4. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing at 6 secs

5. Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo at 10 secs

6. Damiano Caruso (Ita) BMC Racing at 10 secs

7. Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Astana at 10 secs

8. Daniel Moreno (Spa) Katusha at 10 secs

9. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing at 10 secs

10. Julien Arredondo (Col) Trek Factory Racing at 10 secs