Kevyn Ista hard at work in Oman

The hot sun and strong wind did not keep André Greipel (Lotto- Belisol) from grabbing the first stage win at the Tour of Oman.  In this initial stage, the German sprinter won by using both his head and his legs.

For IAM Cycling riders, directed by Kjell Carlström, they were successful holding their own all day.  Carlström, the directeur sportif for the Swiss team, was satisfied with how the day unfolded for his group.

“We had no big problems during the day.  Thomas Löfkvist had a puncture with 20 kilometers to go to the finish, right when the bunch split into two big echelons.  But eventually it all came back together in time for the sprint.  Then Heinrich Haussler was cut off near the end by another rider who had peeled off after having lead out his own leader.”

Meanwhile, Kevyn Ista found himself safely in the heart of the pack at the end, after having to fight his way back to the main group along with Mathias Frank and Thomas Löfkvist when they ended up on the wrong side of the break in the peloton.

“We managed to return to the group more easily than we would have in Qatar.  The wind is not as severe here.  I found myself in the echelon because I suffered a puncture.  I was happy to get back to the group after 10 kilometers of chasing.  With 15 kilometers to go we made the juncture, so I was not involved in the sprint.  I did not have time to recover.  Here in Oman my job will be to help the guys in the sprint and then to be there to position the climbers for the hills.  But I am also looking to tweak my shape in time to perform well in the upcoming Classics.”