Filippo Pozzato once again shows his good condition in the early part of 2015 when he finished close to the podium in the second stage of the Tour de Oman.

The Italian rider from LAMPRE-MERIDA who finished 4th place in the queen stage of Dubai Tour, battled against the best riders in the finale of Al Bustan, crossing the finish line in 4th behind Cancellara (1st), Valverde (2nd) and Van Avermaet (3rd) and beating Sagan.

Another blue-fuchsia-green rider, Rafael Valls, confirmed he's living a positive moment, taking 11th in the same time as the stage winner.

The key moment of the race was the climb of Al Jissah (summit at -4 km), when a series of attacks created a front group of 19 members, who battled for the victory in a slightly uphill sprint.

In the overall classification, Valls (13th) and Pozzato (15th) have a gap of 10" to the leader Cancellara.

Matteo Bono crashed in the final kilometers of the course, suffering a greenstick fracture of one rib. The medical staff of the team will check his condition in the next hours.

"The final part of the race made the selection and the lead group had only 19 members," Pozzato explained. "I had good legs, that's why I think it's a pity I could not achieve the victory. In the sprint I had to brake to find a better path, but this doesn't affect the deserved victory of Cancellara.

"I'd like to underline that the team gave me a perfect support and that Valls was great in being at my side until the finish."

Rui Costa explained that: "Considering that this was my second day of racing and that we rode under the sun at 40°, I can be satisfied about my performance. I'm here in order to improve my pace and to improve my condition. Pozzato was great, we're sorry he could not celebrate a victory."