Mark Cavendish opened his 2022 season with a second-place finish on the opening stage of the Tour of Oman.
Colombia’s Fernando Gaviria took the win for UAE Team Emirates, holding off Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider Cavendish in a sprint finish to the 138km stage from Rustaq Fort to Muscat.
Cavendish, 36, edged Australia’s Kaden Groves (BikeExchange-Jayco) into third.
The second of the Tour of Oman’s six stages is a 167.5km flat route from Naseem Park to Suhar Corniche.
Britain’s former world champion Cavendish is making his return to the road after a difficult end to 2021.
He suffered a collapsed lung and broken ribs in a crash at November’s Gent Six-Day before a traumatic assault when burglars broke into his home later that month.
