Having won the same stage in 2013, it was little surprise to see Peter Sagan involved again when the attacks started on the descent of Al Jissah. But while the Cannondale man appeared keen to get in the mix, and took a small turn on the front, the Slovakian star appeared to be holding something back with much bigger challenges lying ahead. Such conservation of energy contributed to him finishing second in the sprint, but it also lays down an early warning to his rivals.

Sagan, even when he is not firing on full gas, is capable of mixing it with the attacks and his descending skills remain almost second-to-none. Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing), who was also in the late escape group, will have to get used to the sight of Sagan alongside him as they both do battle for Classics supremacy. Sagan is boldly targeting all four cobbled Classics having announced his return to Paris-Roubaix, with Milan-San Remo also on the list just beforehand. Without revealing his full hand on stage three in Oman, Sagan showed he is certainly capable of living up to expectations and improving on his impressive 2013 showing.