It is not just the GC men looking for form in Oman, with the provisional start list littered with big names.

After a number of near-misses in Qatar, Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo) will be keen to open his account with his new team for starters.

Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) is the in-form sprinter, however, with three wins to his name from Qatar do far, while Matteo Pelucchi (IAM Cycling) won twice in Mallorca.

Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida) is another big-name rider starting his year in Oman, with the former world champion having finished the 2014 season in strong form at the Tour of Beijing.

Crosswinds, meanwhile, have denied us the anticipated battle between Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) and Arnaud Demare (FDJ.fr) in Qatar – though Demare was fastest the only time they both reached the finish line in the front group – but never write the two off.

Finally British interest, if Ireland’s Philip Deignan is discounted, lies with Adam Blythe (Orica-GreenEDGE) who is down to race his second event for his new team after a steady showing in Qatar.