Cavendish gets off the mark in Mattrah

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Robert Gesink (Rabobank) secured the Tour of Oman on Sunday, finishing comfortably in the peloton on the sixth and last stage that ended with a high-speed sprint on the Mattrah Seafront.

Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) won the sprint to take his first victory of the 2011 season. Crashes disrupted Cavendish's hopes of an early season win in the Tour Down Under and the Tour of Qatar and he missed out earlier in the Tour of Oman. However his HTC-Highroad team rode a controlled finale on the fast finishing circuit and then Cavendish won in style, timing his acceleration to perfection, beating Denis Galimzyanov (Katusha) and Andrea Guardini (Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli) who tried a late surge up the inside, while other riders were fighting for the minor placings.

"In races like this everyone tries to win and it's a bit hectic," Cavendish said explaining the sprint.

"Some time Tour de France sprints are easier because there are less people up front and everyone knows their position and you haven't got climber's trying to sprint."

"There was no real plan because it was a hit and miss sprint. The wind was always over the shop and came from three different directions in the last four hundred metres. My team did such a good job. I had Gossie (Matt Goss) and (Hayden) Roulston looking after me at the finish. I did a good job of holding onto them and they did a good job of looking after me."

"Dominique Rollin (FDJ) seemed to want to make me crash but I'm really happy to have won. Gossie went at the end and I thought Thor (Hushovd) was going to jump on him, so I left a gap for Thor to go. He didn’t go but it gave me a slipstream and a good run at it with two hundred metres to go and that was it."

"There was never any doubt I was on form," he said bluntly.

"I tried the other day but then lost Goss part way. The first day it didn’t play out well but it's good to have won."

The Manxman's first big goal of the 2011 season is Milan San Remo on March 19. Before then he will ride the Strade Bianche race in Tuscany on March 5 and then Tirreno-Adriatico (March 9-16). After the Italian stage race he will head to San Remo to study the final part of the Classicissima.

The high-speed crashes in Australia and Qatar delayed his first win of the season but Cavendish can head back to Europe knowing that everything is back on track and a second victory at Milan San Remo is there to be taken.

Rabobank celebrate four stage wins and overall success

Robert Gesink and his Rabobank teammates also headed back to Europe with moral sky high after a hugely successful week of racing in Oman.

The team won four stages and the overall classification with Gesink, who movingly remembered his father with victory on Green Mountain.

Earlier in the six-day race, Theo Bos proved he can beat the best in the world in the sprints and created a well synchronized double act with new lead out man Graeme Brown. Then Gesink took over and won the uphill finish and the hilly time trial to take a dominant victory.

Gesink beat Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) by a significant 1:13, with Giovanni Visconti (Farnese Vini- Neri Sottoli) third overall at 1:19. Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Cervelo) finished a solid fifth overall at 2:04, just ahead of Fabian Cancellara (Leopard Trek, at 2:11.

"It's a nice way to start the season. It's a big win and so I'm really happy," Gesink said after pulling on the final red jersey on the podium as the sun set over the Mattrah Seafront.

"The race worked out perfectly for me. I won the uphill finish and then I was really surprised to win the time trial."

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