Vincenzo Nibali and the entire peloton chose not to race stage five after road surface temperatures above 50 C began to melt braking surfaces on the wheels of some of the other teams.

"It was a tough decision to make, because the Oman organizers are rightly proud of their race and deserve a chance to show Muscat to the world," the Tour de France champion said. "But safety comes first, and the heat made for very dangerous racing conditions. In the end we all made the right choice."

The original start at Al Sawadi Beach was cancelled after a strong sand storm reduced visibility to zero. In a convoy of race vehicles, all teams then moved to Muscat for a restart.

On the neutralized first descent of the climb, at relatively slow speeds, riders from other teams punctured their tires or melted their brake pads, and race leaders stopped the peloton in the shade of a highway overpass.

After a discussion with organizers, local police escorts and race directors, stage five was cancelled by mutual agreement.