The new kid on the block for the 2010 season - the Tour of Oman - sees elite cycling make further inroads into the Middle East after the recent success of the Tour of Qatar.

But while the Tour of Qatar offered sprinters an ideal start to their campaign, the Tour of Oman promises to be a far more testing affair.

Like it's north-westerly neighbour, temperatures in Oman are likely to hit the high 20s when the racing gets under way, and when you factor in some nasty climbs over the third and fourth stages, the action looks set to really hot up.

Five of the eight Team Sky riders will already be used to those balmy temperatures having spent the previous week in Qatar, and expect Chris Sutton, Mathew Hayman and Davide Viganò to get themselves quickly up to speed after their exploits in the Tour Down Under.

Sutton will be hoping to build on his superb start to the season after winning the final stage in Adelaide and he told us: "I felt a bit heavy after the Tour Down Under but the training's been going really well this week. I've felt stronger which is good so I've got a couple of days to freshen up and hopefully I'll be moving alright when I get to Oman."

As to how the Team Sky squad will pan out in Oman, he added: "I'll just do whatever is asked of me. I'll go there and I'll be working with Edvald Boasson Hagen. We'll see how he pulls up after Qatar and he's clearly going alright there. But if he's not up to it at any point then obviously I'll step up and take the sprinter's role.

"I'll be talking with the director, Steven de Jongh, when I get there and we'll just see what the best plan is. He's in Qatar now so is clearly going to know how everyone comes out of that."

Here's our take on the race's six stages:

Sunday 14 February: Stage 1 - Muscat Corniche to Muscat Corniche - 61km

The tour gets under way with 16 laps of a 3.8km route which begins at the roundabout just outside Riyam Park and follows the coastline west before looping back on itself at the Fish Roundabout in neighbouring Mutrah. To break the monotony sprint sections have been strategically placed at the start of laps six and 11. The pan-flat terrain should see any breakaways chased down in the latter stages before a bunch sprint at the finale. The only problem the riders could face are the crosswinds sweeping in off the Gulf of Oman.

Monday 15 February: Stage 2 - Nizwa to Samail - 148.5km

From Nizwa the riders head south for five kilometres before passing through Birkat Al Mawz and east towards Izki for the opening sprint of the day (33.5km). They then follow the Nizwa Road north and climb steadily over the next 18km to around 625m before dropping down into Samail (74km). The peloton passes straight through and carries on up to Bidbid (102km) before hanging a right and continuing along a triangular route back towards Samail. Once there they take on the second sprint after 133km and race two laps of the town before ending with another likely blast at the finish.

Tuesday 16 February: Stage 3 - Saifat Ash Shiekh to Qurayyat - 124km

It's back onto the coast for the start of stage three, this time with Saifat Ash Shiekh chosen to see the riders off. The bunch will have little time to get settled as the first King of the Mountains points are up for grabs after just 9.5km near Yiti. The second summit follows in remarkably quick succession with further points available just 15km down the road at Al Jissah. With that tricky section out of the way the sprinters will be looking to emerge at Al Akhdar (46.5km) for their first burst of the day, and then again at Al Tarif (95.5km). There is no let up though as the third and final climb comes just 15km from the finish before they drop into the small fishing village of Qurayyat.

Wednesday 17 February: Stage 4 - Ibri to Nakhal - 187km

The peloton heads out of Ibri and it's relatively flat all the way up to Al Hamaria (45.5km) for the first sprint section. The road continues east right along the Tropic of Cancer and ramps up for a points climb at Shenhese (66.5km). Heavily undulating terrain is to follow as the riders cross the foothills of the Jebel Akhdar mountain range and down into Dahas (121km) for the second sprint. The road then heads south east and rises sharply again for the remaining climb just past Ar Rustaq (131km) before flattening out for the run in to Nakhal. Expect to see breakaways a plenty on this long, testing stage.

Thursday 18 February: Stage 5 - Wattayat to Sultan Qaboos Stadium - 148km

After a testing few days the riders will welcome the relatively gentle start out of Wattayat. The route is flat right along the coastline but crosswinds could again prove a factor as the peloton heads west, through the resort of Al Seeb, and onwards for the penultimate sprint of the tour in the outskirts of Barka (61km). When the bunch makes it into the town centre they then cut back on themselves and head inland briefly before setting up for one final sprint outside the Muscat International Airport (93.5km). With no further distractions it's straight into the capital city for what looks set to be a blistering finale at the Sultan Qaboos national stadium.

Friday 19 February: Stage 6 - Al Jissah to Muscat Corniche - 18.6km

The tour comes to an exciting climax with a time trial stage heading out of Al Jissah. The route heads inland off the coast and continues in a north-westerly direction before joining the Qantab Road. At the 6km mark the course kicks up sharply to around 200m with an equally steep descend down the other side before the first time check at Al Bustan (10km). From there it's a fairly straightforward ride up through Sidab and into Muscat where the route follows the same one they took from Riyam Park (16.5km) to Mutrah during stage one. The riders end the week with one last push before crossing the line on the tip of the Muscat corniche.