Crosswinds could not stop him in Qatar, and neither could some moderate climbs in both the Tour Down Under and now the Tour of Oman. Andre Greipel has raced to five victories for this season – more than any other rider so far – and his scintillating form is showing no sign of stopping. So, what next for the Gorilla? While the peloton has been taking in the sights and sounds of the Middle East, news from Europe has emerged that the Pompeiana will not be ready for Milan-San Remo. Though a final decision has not been made by organisers RCS Sport, local government officials have ruled the road unsafe.

So, with a landslide at the Pompeiana Milan-San Remo potentially opened up to the sprinters again, it is little surprise to hear Greipel’s odds of winning the first Monument of the year have been slashed significantly. And whether or not he competes there, the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France lie just on the horizon. Capable of mixing it on the modest climbs he has encountered so far, points jerseys from either certainly appear well within his grasp, to complement his 2009 success in the classification at the Vuelta a Espana.