Amid the sounds of local bagpipes and warm Middle Eastern sunshine, Mark Cavendish's season kicked off Friday morning at Oman's new one-day race, the Muscat Classic.

The racers signed autographs at a paved crosswalk in the new building complex, watched by dozens of local fans.

As is common in races outside Europe, there were no regular team buses; instead, the racers took buses provided by the organizers to the starting point, after which they laid out plastic sheets in the shade of a local parking lot awning for team briefings and race preparations.

Like all of the other 17 teams participating in the Muscat Classic, Cavendish signed in without introduction, given the absence of a race speaker. He paused to take pictures with several autograph hunters before returning to his team car.

Then they were off and running, with local musicians playing in the background.

The Muscat Classic was never likely to end in a group sprint, given the short, tough climb, which had been used in the Tour of Oman, and the drop-off to the finish 4km later. As a result, Jente Biermans (Arkea-Samsic) won the race from a peloton of about 40 riders.

Cavendish had already climbed out on this stage, perhaps with the opening stage of the Tour of Oman on Saturday in mind.

In any case, the race in Oman will allow Cavendish and his team to fine-tune their cooperation without the pressure that a World Tour event like the next race, the UAE Tour, brings.

"If he does compete in the UAE Tour, there will be a lot of pressure. It's like a world championship for sprinters, even if Scheldepri insists on it and the Paris Tour does too," said Aldag, who has worked closely with Cavendish in the past for several teams.

"You don't want to race for the first time with the staff and the riders because there will be a lot of opportunities there, and that's why it's smart to come here."

"Racing here is very simple, and it's never easy. So that's probably a good thing."

Aldag also suggested that the nature of the race in Oman would provide training for Cavendish.

"We all know that in Middle Eastern races, when the course is flat, your fitness (resistance) is reduced. But Oman is very hilly, so this is where he will be doing his strength training. [His] chances of sprinting are really limited. But on the flip side, unless he turns into a goat during the winter, he will most likely work on this strength training in good weather conditions."