Stage 1: Al Sawadi → Al Seeb, 158 km Full Results and Report
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Theo Bos (Rabobank) and Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) even with meters to go ahead of 3rd Roger Kluge (Skil-Shimano), 4th Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky), 5th Denis Galimzyanov (Katusah, far left, elbow only) and 6th Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ, right). | 
See Graham Watson's great shot of the Photo Finish: Bos beats Cav with a better bike throw after Cav overcame being boxed in | 
Theo Bos celebrates a great Rabobank team effort which he finished off to perfection for the Dutch | 
The first wearer of this year's Red Race Leader's Jersey |
Stage 2: The Wave, Muscat → Al Wutayya, 139 km Full Results and Report
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The peloton split into several groups on the 395m climb just past the halfway point of the 139 km stage ending in Al Wutayya. | 
Unlike Qatar, there are definitely some hills in Oman | 
Matthew Goss (HTC-Highroad) won the strung out, slightly uphill, sprint finish ahead of Daniele Bennati (Leopard-Trek) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky) | 
UCI President Pat McQuaid played the role of flower girl today. Earlier, McQuaid criticised Spain after the Contador decision. | 
Your new race leader is Matthew Goss much to the delight of local bike racing fans |
Stage 3: Sur → Sur, 208 km Full Results and Report
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The rollout from Sur on the east coast of Oman; another beautiful day | 
The inland return leg back to Sur took the riders through the hot Oman desert | 
The break getting urged on by an appreciative Omani crowd. Mark Kumpo (Geox-TMC) at the front followed by Marcus Burghardt (BMC) and Patrik Sinkewitz (Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli). | 
The Omanis have the Qataris beat for fan support | 
... and more fans | 
After a late start on by far the longest stage (208 km) of the race, the sun was starting to set on the break. | 
After the break was caught with 10 km to go, Theo Bos (Rabobank) won his second stage of the week. Daniele Bennati (Leopard-Trek) was once again 2nd and 3rd was the race leader Matthew Goss (HTC-Highroad). | 
Matt Goss gets to the wear the leader's jersey for one more day. But with a mountaintop finish at the end of Friday's stage 4, we should have a climber donning the Red Jersey tomorrow. |
Stage 4: Sultan Qaboos University → Jabal al Akhdhar, 157 km Full Results and Report
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The peloton passing by the highest mountains in the Eastern Arabia known as Jabal al Akhdhar or "Green Mountain". Although, the only green I see are the desert shrubs. It looks a little like the Eastern Sierra in the U.S. | 
One of the favorites for this stage, Robert Gesink (Rabobank), attacked with 2 km to go on the 6 km climb which finished at 1235m el. The road to the top goes on another 12 km to 3000m el. | 
Robert Gesink wins by 47s over... | 
2nd Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky) | 
Cycling legend and race director Eddy Merckx pushes Garmin-Cervelo team rider Johan Van Summeren of Belgium after he crosses the steep 13% finish | 
Robert Gesink walking tall among the local musicians and dancers prior to the podium ceremony. He'll take a 44s lead over the much better time-trialist, Edvald Boasson Hagen, going into tomorrow's 18.5 km individual time-trial on standard road bikes |
Stage 5: Al Jissah, 18.5 km ITT Full Results and Report
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The race leader put an exclamation point on his overall win by winning the individual time-trial. Robert Gesink (Rabobank) won the lumpy stage 5 ITT by 16s over... | 
... Italian Giovanni Visconti (Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli), who placed seconnd today, moves up one spot to 3rd overall. Using road bikes instead of time-trial bikes certainly helped Gesink and Visconti who you normally don't see at the top of TT results. | 
Your stage 5 ITT winner, overall leader and soon to be race winner, Robert Gesink (Rabobank) |
Stage 6: Qurayyat → Mattrah Seafront, 157 km Full Results and Report
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The landscape of Oman is nicer than most people expect? | 
There was some climbing in the first half of the stage after the start in Qurayyat | 
The second half of the stage was flat | 
Giovanni Visconti following Robert Gesink as the peloton rides past a mosque | 
Race leader Robert Gesink safely tucked behind his team while heading for the inevitable sprint finish at Mattrah Seafront | 
Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) wins the final sprint for his first win of the year... | 
... Denis Galimzyanov (Katusha) was close all week, but this one really hurt | 
Your GC podium: 3rd Giovanni Visconti (Ita/Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli) + 1:19, 1st Robert Gesink (Ned/Rabobank), 2nd Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor/Sky) + 1:13 |
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