Good start in Oman

“It was a relatively peaceful stage. Early on, four riders rode off and it was the Lotto team who did the pace-setting at the front, so Greipel deserved the victory. We were planning to split the peloton in crosswinds but, suddenly, the wind turned so we called it off. I felt quite good today. Except for the last hectic 30km it was a nice stage. Our intention was to prepare a favorable position for Bennati but, in the end, he got boxed in so he didn’t even try to sprint. I expect a similar course of events tomorrow,” said Roman.