Chris Froome showed that he is up for the challenge of defending his title in the Tour of Oman when he attacked with Zdenek Stybar over the top of the final climb near the finish of today's third stage. Despite being ultimately brought back, the Brit was pleasantly surprised with his sensations and promises to ride aggressively in the next two mountainous stages.

Chris Froome tested his legs with a stinging late burst at the Tour of Oman but it was Andre Greipel who emerged to take the stage three victory and regain the overall lead.
 

As predicted, the action kicked off on the final climb of Al Jissah and Dario Cataldo drove a lightning fast pace over the summit before firing Froome into contention. The Tour de France winner raced clear on the sweeping descent which followed, but was pegged back in the last kilometre as the sprint trains muscled their way to the fore.

Ben Swift was right in the mix for Team Sky and claimed a fine fourth place on the day, but it was Greipel who timed his kick to perfection and outpaced Peter Sagan (Cannondale) and Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ) for his second win in the space of three days.

Those results meant the Lotto Belisol rider moved back to the top of the overall standings where he now holds an eight-second advantage over Leigh Howard (Orica-GreenEdge). Froome meanwhile, ended his day in the safety of the peloton and sits just 20 seconds off the pace along with Swift (ninth), Sergio Henao (32nd) and Mikel Nieve (36th).

Most of the stage had been a relatively straightforward affair with four riders breaking clear early on and staying away until they approached the final ascent of the day. That was when Team Sky assumed control, and after sweeping the leaders up they rode hard on the front before unleashing Froome for his brief but battling foray.

Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing), Sagan and Zdenek Stybar (Omega Pharma – Quick-Step) were the first to regain parity with Froome, but all four were pegged back as they passed under the flamme rouge and only seconds later, Greipel pushed on for his fifth win of the season.

"I felt a good sensation being able to follow the front guys, and Stybar has just won the world 'cross title. That's extremely intense racing, and so I was surprised I was able to go with him today," Froome told journalists at the finish. "The final five kilometres of today's stage was the first time I've really been able to feel the race was difficult. I feel it's just getting started now."

Tomorrow the riders face a tough stage that includes four hard climbs inside the final 70km. Last year Froome won a similar stage that included the same climbs - albeit with only three ascents - and he expects the stage to be decisive ahead of Saturday's showdown on the Green Mountain.

"I think tomorrow will be quite decisive," he said. "It's not a mountain top finish, but last year we did this climb (Bousher Alamrat) three times and there were only three of left at the front of the race: myself, Rodriguez and Contador. This time we do it four times and so it could just as decisive as last year.

"What happens in the Green Mountains depends on what happens tomorrow. It'll also be another day to defend a jersey or another opportunity to try and take a jersey. Not necessarily for myself but maybe for one of my teammates."

After the stage, Sports Director Nicolas Portal was pleased with the team’s performance and hailed Froome’s form ahead of the decisive stages to come.

“It was windy today which meant it was a little bit nervous towards the end and there were a lot of riders who fancied their chances. We rode right on the front and then let Froomey do his thing. He was so strong today - he covered a number of attacks before having a go by himself when a lot of the other GC riders were on the limit. That bodes well for tomorrow’s stage and it’ll be really exciting to watch.

“Stage four is on the same roads where Froomey won last season, but they’ve added another lap of the main ascent this time around so it’ll be a really tough day. They only climb Green Mountain once on Saturday, but this one they do four times so it’ll be a real war of attrition and a big day for the GC.”

Portal also praised Swift for his high-placed finish and revealed the Yorkshireman’s focus would now turn to Sunday’s finale in Muscat.

“It was a shame for Swifty because we hadn’t expected so many sprinters to still be there at the end. He did everything he could but we couldn’t give him a dedicated lead out like some of the other teams. He’s happy with his condition at the moment though and he’ll get another chance for a win on Sunday.”

You can read our preview of the race here.