Well, the action in Oman was about to finally get underway. The teams knew it was crucial to get out to a good start this race, and avoid letting what happened in Qatar happen again. Would teams like Celesio & Bunzl reign again, or will we see Tisot or Citigroup finally grab the top spot. There are also quiet teams like Cadbury & Glanbia that have yet to make a statement.

There was actually no clear cut favorite to win the entire race. Riders showed up that shouldn't have, and some that were expected to come skipped out last second. The only thing reporters and team captains could do was sit back and watch their riders give it their all and bring home a win.

Finally, things were starting to heat up. I saw a confrontation in the hallway, and it looks like we could have our first rivalry of the season. It started when cio93 was talking about the sprinters this season, and who was not stacking up to expectations like himself, in particular, jseadog1. Somehow, word got back to him, and he was not happy. They began arguing a bit and eventually things settled down, but it would be curious to see how the race went.

As far as the race itself. Tisot had better things to worry about for the time being, they held a significant advantage in the overall race right now, and they were excited about the opportunity to hold on to it. There is a few hilly parts to the next stage, so it will be exciting to see what comes out of it.