Tour of Oman (st. 1)
12th place for Fran Ventoso in Al Wutayyah -with Guardini (AST) victorious- as Movistar Team completes uneventful opener in Tour of Oman
Heat, quick pace and no injuries were a perfect, short summary for Alejandro Valverde and the Movistar Team's endeavours on stage one of the 6th Tour of Oman, 161km on mainly flat roads from Bayt Al Naman Castle to Al Wutayyah.
A mass sprint, dominated by Italian Andrea Guardini (AST), decided the day's outcome into a slightly uphill kick after the Blues stayed attentive for the whole course, always near the front of the bunch as the sprinters' teams chased down Konrad (BOA), Andreetta (BAR), Van Meirhaeghe (TSV) and Van Zyl (MTN), the four escapees of today.
Fran Ventoso (12th) was the top performer from the telephone squad in the day prior to the first small mountains on the course. Al Jissah, just 5km away from the finish of stage two, is supposed to create a first selection tomorrow leading into the finish of Al Bustan (196km).