Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) didn't start today's first stage of the Tour of Oman as they French climb woke up with a fever. Instead, the Frenchman will rest the next couple of days and then start his preparation for later objectives.

Thibaut Pinot had travelled to the Middle East and the Tour of Oman with the intention of getting his season off to a good start on a mountainous and less stressful course that suited the French climber well. When the race kicked off this morning, however, the Frenchman was absent from the start line.

Pinot had woken up with a fever and decided not to take the start.

"I don't start in Oman this morning," he tweeted. "I had a fever of 39 this morning. Again a lot of effort for nothing. Now I will rest until the end of the week, start from scratch and start to prepare for new targets."

Pinot had shown solid condition in his first race of the season, the GP La Marseillaise, putting in an aggressive showing on a course that doesn't suit him. He planned to use the Omani race to prepare for a solid block of WorldTour stage races where he aimed at strong showings.

After returning from Oman, Pinot is likely to continue his planned race schedule that will see him do the Classic du Sud-Ardeche and Drome in the first weekend of March before targeting the Volta a Catalunya, the Vuelta al Pais Vasco and the Tour de Romandie. A short break will be followed by the Bayern Rundfahrt, the Tour de Suisse and the French championships before he lines up at the Tour de France.

He plans to do the Tour de l'Ain in preparation of the Vuelta a Espana and will end his season at the Tour de Gevaudan and Il Lombardia.

With Pinot out of the race, the GC captains for FDJ will be climbers Kenny Elissonde and Arnold Jeannesson even though the latter has had some health issues as well. The team also has Nacer Bouhanni on the roster, with the Frenchman looking to open the race with a bang on today's opening stage.

You can read our preview of the Tour of Oman here.