Today, Tinkoff-Saxo kicked off the final of three early season Middle Eastern races, as the team embarked on stage 1 of Tour of Oman. After 161km of relatively flat terrain, the race was decided in a bunch sprint, where Peter Sagan finished 7th behind race winner Andrea Guardini. All Tinkoff-Saxo riders crossed the line together with the main field.

Sean Yates, leading sport director at Tour of Oman, considered the stage as a good opportunity to find the race rhythm ahead of the tough stages to come.

“It was a fairly straight forward stage today, the break went early after just 5km of riding, then Katusha took responsibility and brought back the front group. In the sprint, we dedicated Bennati and Breschel to support Sagan, the rest of the guys stayed with Majka, since we’re here with a dual purpose”, says Sean Yates.

The 161 kilometers from Bayt Al Naman Castle to Al Wutayyah featured a couple of gradual climbs, however not enough to cause a stir in the peloton. The pack used the stage to kick off the six days of racing by letting a four-man breakaway get a three-minute gap after just 5km of the stage. True to tradition, the peloton, led by the sprinter teams, caught the breakaway going into the final part of the stage.

Tinkoff-Saxo worked to position Peter Sagan in the final sprint, however it was Astana’s sprinter ace Guardini that managed to time his effort perfectly, as he hit the line in first place. Sagan finished 7th on the stage despite a good effort from Daniele Bennati.

“Benna delivered Matti and Peter in a good position, but they got sort of boxed in going through the final corner. But all in all, I think the boys rode well, stayed together and protected our team captains well in what was a fairly fast stage”.

Tomorrow presents the riders with a 195km stage including two late climbs and a fast descent towards the finishing line in Al Bustan, where Sagan won a similar stage in 2013.

“We’re still chasing our first win of the early season and I feel that the guys are motivated. For Sagan, tomorrow is obviously a stage, where he has good chances, as we face two late and pretty steep climbs. A race like this is generally better for a rider like him than the pure sprinter, as he has the abilities to chase the win in different types of terrain. So we need to support him well before stage four to Green Mountain, where Majka will get his chance”, finishes Sean Yates.

Rafal Majka, Tinkoff-Saxo’s GC-captain, finished in the same time, as the other main contenders.