Argos Shimano sprinter Marcel Kittel won the opening stage of the Tour Of Oman this afternoon.
Bobbie Traksel (CSS) and Kohei Uchima (JPN) broke as soon as the flag dropped on the 162km stage from Al Musannah to Sultan Qaboos University.
They quickly opened up a lead and were 9.30 ahead when Traksel took the day's only King Of The Mountains climb after 45km.
The first sprint came some twenty kilometres later and again Traksel took the points on offer ahead of Uchima and FDJ Dominic Rollin who was first out of a high class peloton.
With 54 kilometres left, their lead was still 5.40. Argos Shimano and Orica Green Edge tried to pulled them back and had knocked fifty seconds off their lead by the time Traksel took the second sprint after 126kms.
Inside the final thirty kilometres and Traksel decided that his work for the day was done and he sat up, allowing Uchima to plough on alone.
With 25kms to go, the lead of the Japanese Federation rider was down to 1.20. He battled on for just over nine more kilometres before being swept up by the peloton who were average speeds of 40kmph for the first three hours of racing.
It was now a bunch sprint for the line and Marcel Kittel took the victory ahead of David Appollonio (AG2R) and Bouhanni (FDJ).