AL MUSANNAH, Oman (AP) — Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins finished in a tie for last in the opening leg of the Tour of Oman on Monday, narrowly avoiding a crash to end up more than 80 seconds beyond stage winner Marcel Kittel.
Kittel, a German riding for Argos-Shimano, finished the 100.7-mile stage from Al Musannah to Sultan Qaboos University in 4 hours, 4 minutes, 59 seconds. He beat David Appollonio of AG2R La Mondiale and Nacer Bouhanni of FDJ in a sprint to the line.
Wiggins was caught behind a crash with 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) remaining and was among five riders who finished 1 minute, 21 seconds behind Kittel.
Alberto Contador, who was stripped of a third Tour de France title for using a banned substance, finished in the main peleton with the same time as Kittel.
