The parcours of the 161-kilometer opening stage were designed for the sprinters and despite a five-man early break trying its best to throw a wrench into the plan, and an uncomfortable scorching temperature, everything rolled out as projected.

Astana’s fast man Andrea Guardini grabbed first sprint honors at the Tour of Oman, with Tom Boonen (Etixx-Quick Step) and Matteo Pelucchi (IAM Cycling) completing the top three.

Gert Steegmans finished in 13th place for Trek Factory Racing and Danny van Poppel 24th in one of a few stages expected to finish all-together. The rest of the team finished safely in the same time and will look to some tough stages ahead.

“Today was one of the only stages for the sprinters, and although Danny [van Poppel] was feeling much better than in Qatar it’s clear that we still have some work to do as we lost each other before the last kilometer,” said director Dirk Demol. “Today was super hot, 37-38 degrees [Celsius], and I wanted the boys to be careful, to drink a lot and not push too hard as a result. Tomorrow is a long stage, and in the next days there is a lot of opportunities to do something. We will look to stage four with Julián  [Arredondo] and then see each day, but we can be antagonists in breakaways to try for a stage win.”

Tomorrow the hills arrive in a long 195-kilometer second stage, placed precariously in the final kilometers and will certainly split the peloton.  It is stage four, the queen stage of the six-day race with a summit finish on the 5.7-kilometer Green Mountain, that suits the explosive climbing skills of Julián Arredondo and where Trek Factory Racing hopes to battle many Tour de France contenders in Oman to test early-season form. 

“It’s hard to tell too much from today, but I felt okay, I felt good,” said Arredondo when we caught up to him shortly after the race ended. “The heat was no problem for me, and I have been here a week already so I have adapted to the conditions. I am ready.”