Stage 1: Al Musannah → Sultan Qaboos University, 162 km Full Results and Report
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Chris Froome, Sky's leader this week, being interview prior to the start in Al Musannah (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
World Champ Philippe Gilbert (BMC) (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Cadel Evans and Alberto Contador are riding the Tour of Oman for the first time (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Ready to drop the flag on this year's race (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Argos-Shimano leading the peloton on a nice smooth road common for Oman (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Matt Goss (Orica GreenEdge) taking a detour (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
More biking fans in Oman than Qatar (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
More interesting terrain in Oman than Qatar too (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Green Mountain in distance where Stage 4 will finish, but this was mostly a flat stage (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Boys and... (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
girls love bike racing... or time off from school. By the way, more than half the 15,000+ students at Sultan Qaboos University where stage 1 finished are female. (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano) wins Stage 1 at Sultan Qaboos University (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Marcel Kittel happy to get his first win of 2013 (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Award ceremony, English-speaking MC (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Marcel Kittel donning the first leader's jersey (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) |
Stage 2: Fanja in Bidbid → Al Bustan, 146 km Full Results and Report
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Bradley Wiggins and his new hat (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Team Sky stopping in at the local variety store (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
The casual start in Fanja in Bidbid. Looks like the start scene at an amateur race. No team buses for this race. (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Oman has the happiest kids (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Sky's Peter Kennaugh, Bradley Wiggins and Richie Porte (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Chris Froome (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Dropping the flag on Stage 2 with Marcel Kittel, your race leader, in the center (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
With so many kids lining the route, you can't help think this race will have a big impact on producing some quality professional Omani bike racers (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
The local girls love their bike racing too (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Beautiful weather and excellent pavement. Great training conditions for those that aren't out to win. (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Weaving through a small town (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
The end of the race featured two stiff 160m climbs with the break about to be caught (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Bobbie Traksel (Champion Systems) was in the break again today and would receive his second most aggressive rider award (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
The peloton chasing (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
The race helicopter captured some excellent footage today (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
The hilly, twisty finish (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Descending to the finish (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Stijn Devolder at the back of the train (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Peter Sagan (Cannondale) attacked off the peloton, caught a late break and then soloed the final km to the finish to win handily (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
In addition to winning the stage, Peter Sagan was rewarded as the best young rider leader (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
The jersey leaders with Peter Sagan taking the leader's jersey from Marcel Kittel who now wears Green. (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Peter Sagan among the select group of 30 media members (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Team Sky fitting in already to Omani life (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) |
Stage 3: Nakhal Fort → Wadi Dayqah Dam, 190 km Full Results and Report
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The stage 3 start took place at Nakhal Fort (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
The chaotic staging area the pros aren't use to or haven't since their amateur days (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
En lieu of a race caravan (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Alberto Contador seems to find the informal and relaxed atmosphere refreshing (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Ready to roll (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
The four man break including two riders from Champion System (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Feedzone (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Another feedzone (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Wide roads, smoooooooth pavement (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
km 90, the only KOM of the day at Bousher Alamrat (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
For the third straight day, Bobbie Traksel (Champion Systems) was the most aggressive rider in the break (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
The terrain was rolling near the end of the stage (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
FDJ at the back of the train (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack) was 15th today + 9s (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Spread out before the uphill finish at Wadi Dayqah Dam (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
For the second straight stage and (second straight year at Wadi Dayqah Dam), Peter Sagan (Cannondale) easily wins the uphill finish (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
More young fans today at Wadi Dayqah Dam (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Eddy Merckx and local dignitaries waiting for the award ceremony (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
But first a few interviews with the stage winner and overall leader (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Peter Sagan against the backdrop of Wadi Dayqah Dam (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
There was a very similar photo last year (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) |
Stage 4: Al Saltiyah in Samail → Jabal Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain), 153 km Full Results and Report
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The team car fleet packed in at the start in Al Saltiyah in Samail (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Looks like Chris Froome was taking part in a school project prior to Stage 4. The interviewer picked the right person as we'll find out later (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Bradley Wiggins may have looked serious at the start, but he's not in shape and needs a haircut: 66th + 7:33 (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Bradley Wiggins (Sky) at the low-key sign-in (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Race leader Peter Sagan (Cannondale) would lose the leader's jersey, as expected, today (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Taylor Phinney and Cadel Evans hanging out in the shade (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
The rollout from Al Saltiyah in Samail (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
The five man break (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Some spectators didn't behave themselves (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Nearing the final climb: Cadel Evans (BMC), Matthew Busche (RadioShack Leopard) and Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
And then there were four on the 5.8 km @ 10.3% finishing climb to Green Mountain: Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha), Alberto Contador (Saxo-Tinkoff), Chris Froome (Sky) and Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) before Cadel Evans (BMC) bridged up (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
As expected, Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) excelled on the steep 4 kms @ 13.5% finish (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) wins Stage 4 (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Just 4s back was Chris Froome (Sky) who moves into the race lead with a healthy 24s lead (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Cadel Evans (BMC) clawed his way back, finishing strong for 3rd +22s and moves up to 2nd overall (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Alberto Contador (Saxo-Tinkoff) faded near the line crossing 4th + 27s and is now 3rd overall (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Cadel Evans was pleased with his form (and the view) post race (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Another win for the man who owns this sort of steep finish (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
The camera man catching the finish line action (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Today's podium group shot (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Award ceremony perspective (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) |
Stage 5: Al Alam Palace → Ministry of Housing in Boshar, 144 km Full Results and Report
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Vacansoleil-DCM team bikes (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
The opulent BMC prep area at Al Alam Palace (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Alberto Contador would put up a good fight today moving up from 3rd to 2nd overall in the process (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Chris Froome (Sky) is the man in focus now (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Ready to roll for stage 5 at Al Alam Palace (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
First coastal shot from the Sea of Oman all week (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Bradley Wiggins leading Chris Froome (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Peter Kennaugh (Sky) at the front of the chase going down Bousher Alamrat (350m) (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
The race climbed and descended Bousher Alamrat (350m) three times which split the peloton (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
The final time up Bousher Alamrat (350m) before Alberto Contador attacked (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Alberto Contador and Chris Froome in the three man break with Joaquin Rodriguez (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Climbers' bike throw (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Chris Froome beats Alberto Contador and Joaquin Rodriguez in a three man climbers sprint with the next group crossing 4s later (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
The race leader gets himself a stage win (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Chris Froome standing tall (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
This all but wraps up Chris Froome's biggest win (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Sounds bites from the winner: "On the second last climb Saxo Bank lit it up and took a lot of people by surprise. The bunch got blown to pieces... the sprint was into a bit of head/cross wind" (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) |
Stage 6: Hawit Nagam Park → Matrah Corniche, 144 km Full Results and Report
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Hawit Nagam Park, the start host for the sixth and final stage (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Another low key staging area... without much privacy (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
A loyal fan holding out for a Katusha autograph much to the amusement of a Omega Pharma - QuickStep rider (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Getting ready for the sixth and final day... another gorgeous day in Oman (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Dropping the flag on Stage 6 (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Race leader Chris Froome and Peter Kennaugh talking things over (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Jamie and his fellow cycling fans (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Heading out along the Sea of Oman (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
An easy day for the race leader, Chris Froome (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Taylor Phinney on water bottle duty before placing 3rd in the sprint finish (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Heading into Muscat (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
The circuit on Matrah Corniche (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Team Sky chasing on the final lap (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ), the French National Champion, wins the sixth and final stage (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
(© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Important Omani dudes (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Looking serious at the award ceremony (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Alberto Contador (Saxo-Tinkoff) waiting to accept second place overall (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
Your 2013 Tour de France Tour of Oman podium, 2nd Alberto Contador (Saxo-Tinkoff) + 27s, 1st Chris Froome (Sky) 23:28:33 and 3rd Cadel Evans (BMC) + 39s. (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) | 
On behalf of the organizing committee, Eddy Merckx, your jersey winners and the winning team, BMC... thanks for tuning in (© Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality) |
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