Mark Cavendish using Oman to build strength and rapport as Astana tenure begins

Mark Cavendish in his first race for Astana at the Muscat Classic
Mark Cavendish in his first race for Astana at the Muscat Classic (Image credit: Alex Broadway / Getty Images)

To the sound of local bagpipes and in warm Middle Eastern sunshine, Mark Cavendish’s season got underway on Friday morning at the new Muscat Classic one-day race in Oman.

Watched by a few dozen local fans, riders signed on at a paved pedestrian crossroads in a new building development, with the ceremony limited to a simple sign-on board ringed by race officials, prior to the rollout at 11am.

Alasdair Fotheringham

Alasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991. He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one, as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain. As well as working for Cyclingnews, he has also written for The IndependentThe GuardianProCycling, The Express and Reuters.