Tour of Oman Stage 1: Al Alam Royal Palace > Wadi Al Huwqayn, 159kms

"Happy Valentine's Day, Mark" - "Thanks David.."

skyfriendsoman

The Lotto team of Andre Greipel relax in the shade of the Al Alam Palace...

lottorelaxoman

Stage one of the Tour of Oman trickles along The Corniche during a short neutralised section...

sceneryoman

Danilo Wyss is leading a four-man escape away along the highway to the north of Muscat...

bmcoman

The peloton races past the Grand Mosque of Oman, already five minutes down...

sceneryoman

Jeremy Hunt is the man doing all the work at the front of the peloton...

skyoman

The peloton is straddled across the highway, in-line astern of Team Sky...

sceneryoman

Greipel makes a wheel-change, his mind totally on the finish-sprint today...

omegaoman

Andy Schleck is the man expected to grace the Tour of Oman the most...

shackoman

What's so funny then?, asks Allan Davis as he loads up with water-bottles...

green edgeoman

Three other riders swap jokes - Cavendish, Luke Rowe, and Adam Blythe...

skyfriendsoman

Navadauskas hands a water-bottle to Christian Vande Velde...

garminoman

Mikhail Ignatiev is the strong man in the four-man escape - he's making sure their five-minute lead doesn't come down too much...

katushaoman

Millar is leading the peloton at a high rate of knots, and he'll be there for quite a while yet..!

garminoman

Ian Stannard is getting his bike tuned on the move today, what a lucky boy..!

skymechanicoman

Are former winners Johan Van Summeren and Tom Boonen discussing the 2012 Paris-Roubaix..?

garminoman

For sure, former winners Stuart O'Grady and Fabian Cancellara are discussing the forthcoming Paris-Roubaix..!

green edgeoman

Wyss is still working hard at the head of the escape...

There's been a crash on a big roundabout - the only real corner in the day's 159-kilometres..!

skycrashoman

Sebastian Langeveld and Coen Vermeltfoort have hit the kerb hard, but they'll recover and re-join the race...

Ignatiev is alone and in front with about 20-kilomeres to go...

katushaoman

The Lotto team turn in the power in their pursuit, condeming Ignatiev to a most certain fate...

lottooman

Andre Greipel wins stage one into Wadi al Huwquayn, just ahead of Farrar and Galmzyanov...

omegaoman

No hysterics for Andre Greiple, race-leader after a sprint in a race that will be won by a climber...

omegaoman