Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) will head to the Tour of Oman, which opens on Thursday.

The Colombian will face former teammate Mark Cavendish (Quick Step - Alpha Vinyl). He started the season with a third and fourth place finish at last week's Tour of Saudi Arabia, and despite the disappointment of missing out on the win, he is in good form heading into Oman.

"I'm a little disappointed because I wanted to win some stages in the Saudi Arabian tour but it didn't happen," Gaviria told reporters before the first stage. But I am happy with my performance."

"I'm a little tired from the travel, but that's life in cycling. I'm really happy to be here. I'm happy with my performance and we'll see what happens this week."

Gaviria added that he is confident that he is back to the performance level he tasted in his best season of 2017, when he won four Giro d'Italia stages and 14 victories in the points jersey.

Since then, he has been plagued by injuries and two COVID-19 infections, but even as he worries about the emergence of new variants, the virus and its effects are now in the past, he said.

"Yeah, I think we're getting there," he said of his peak body shape in 2017. 'Right now, I'm working with my trainer on a really good program for that. Every race, every training session, we can take another step forward. I'm in really good shape right now and I'm happy with that.

"It's scary because every new [COVID-19] variation is getting harder. But for me, COVID is a thing of the past, so I think I'll be fine. At the moment, I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but I'm much better than I was a few years ago. It's February now and conditions are good. I feel much better than I did last year and two years ago, and that's a good thing."

Gaviria will return to the Giro d'Italia in the first half of the season and will ride his final race with his good friend Max Richeze, a longtime leadout rider who will retire after the Grand Tour.

"It's the last few months for him. I love riding with him. He's my roommate, and now that I know pretty much when he's going to end his career, I can enjoy every day.

"Richeze is really important to my career. I can call him if I have any problems in Colombia, and he's like a big brother to me. He wants to quit this cycling thing.

"I hope the next step away from cycling is a good one for him. And if I can help in any way, I will. It's a little disappointing to have one less roommate on the team, and I've been with him for seven years, so I know everything about him, and if I can put him on the phone what time he wants to go to bed or what music he wants to watch, it makes everything easier."

A fourth career Giro with the Argentine, along with a return to the cobbled classics, is a major goal this spring, but a Tour de France appearance seems unlikely, and in 2022, it will be rare to ride with new top sprinter Pascal Ackermann, and

"It is likely that I will not be able to ride with the new top sprinter Pascal Ackermann in 2022.

"[Tadej Pogachar] would be better off taking one of them with him to try to win again. For the team, it's hard to go into the Tour. He can really fly on the climbs, so to get another shot at the win, you'd better take one rider who can help him.

"Me and Ackermann are in separate groups on the team, but if we end up in the same race, we will make a decision during the race. I have no problem leading out for him.

"But the team organizes us not to race together too much. But we'll see what happens in the next race. Maybe we will run together, and that would be good for the team."