Positive signs for Chris Froome at 'unusual, but compelling' Tour of Oman, says Richard Moore

The Tour of Oman must be doing something right, because this year's field might have been mistaken for the Tour de France.

Then came Evans, but the biggest surprise was Contador, who so often appears to dance or float up climbs, usually through throngs of cheering, sound-muffling spectators. Yet here he was, on this suitably empty stretch of uphill, straining and panting, forcing the pedals round, while Nibali cracked completely, only just managing to keep his legs turning over those final 50 metres. Maybe the Astana man was right about the significance of this stage and this mountain, but if we are still talking about it in mid-summer then it could be because these riders won't meet again on a climb like this between now and perhaps the Criterium du Dauphine in June. Froome, who took over as race leader, was the big winner on Thursday, but he was sensibly playing down any longer-term significance. "If you're saying it has a bearing on the months to come, I don't think you can take much from it," he said. "I'm fully aware it's only February." And 'only' the Tour of Oman. But on Friday Contador demonstrated how much he would like to win it, attacking again on a short, steep climb, before eventually being caught and then out-sprinted by Froome for the stage win. 'Only' the Tour of Oman, perhaps, but what a strange and compelling show, especially on Green Mountain. Twitter.com/richardmoore73