Vincenzo Nibali accuses rival Sir Bradley Wiggins of 'hiding' during the Tour of Oman "In Oman, he snubbed the race and hid," Nibali has claimed in Gazzetta dello Sport. When he did show himself, it was to help Froome. I can't do what he did: my instinct always pushes me to invent something. I'm not capable of staying still. Wiggins lost nearly two minutes on the first day in Oman when he got caught behind a crash just outside the 3km zone and thereafter confined himself to riding as support to Froome and working as a domestique. In between two hard training blocks Wiggins didn't look at his best but after two weeks training in Tenerife he will be racing much more seriously at the mountainous Volta a Catalunya later this month. This will provide a much more accurate reflection of his early season fitness as he builds towards the Giro. Nabali, who finished third behind the Wiggins and Froome at the Tour de France last year, was talking as he prepares to defend his Tirreno - Adriatico title. Although a fairly quick-fire week long stage race lacking the massive mountains of the either the Tour de France or Giro the Tirreno-Adriatico is always tough going and the exceptionally wet weather forecast will only accentuate that. Froome looked in such good form in Oman that he probably starts as a marginal favourite ahead of Nibali while Alberto Contador, Tony Martin - fresh from his win at the Tour of the Algarve - Joachim Rodriguez and Cadel Evans should be the other main contenders A strong field of sprinters is headed up by old rivals Mark Cavendish and Andre Greipel with Matt Goss, John Degenkolb, Tyler Farrar and Daniele Bennati also providing serious opposition.