The 2016 season is now in full swing following back-to-back races in the Middle East.
First, Marcel Kittel claimed two stage wins and the overall title at the Dubai Tour, and then Mark Cavendish took victory at the Tour of Qatar.
Here, we pick out the lessons from the two races…
Kittel is back
Having emerged as the best sprinter in the world in 2013 and 2014, Kittel's career fell off the rails in a 2015 campaign in which he was repeatedly dogged by illness, failed to be selected for the Tour de France and won only once all year.
He subsequently left Giant-Alpecin for the new environment of Etixx - Quick-Step this winter, and on the evidence of the Dubai Tour, the move has worked wonders.
Kittel was sensational in Dubai, crushing rivals Cavendish and Elia Viviani on stages one and four and producing a magnificent - and ultimately race-winning - performance on the uphill finish on Hatta Dam on stage three.
The race left us in little doubt that Kittel is back.
Cavendish struggling for wins
Cavendish may have come away from his fortnight in the Middle East with a general classification victory to his name, but based purely on sprint results, the trip has not been an overwhelming success.
He contested seven sprints at the Dubai Tour and Tour of Qatar combined but won only once, having been twice blown away by Kittel in Dubai and then narrowly beaten twice by Alexander Kristoff in Qatar.
Cavendish revealed after the final stage in Dubai that he had produced his highest power output in a sprint since 2011, but ultimately, his competition in sprints is stronger than ever and he currently appears to be adrift of the pace he needs to win regularly.
…but Cavendish does have good overall form
While his top-end speed might have been lacking slightly, Cavendish's overall form in Dubai and Qatar was nonetheless encouraging.
His own expectations for the two races were subdued having spent all winter training on the track, but his condition was good enough to be competitive in both and even take overall victory in Qatar.
Elia Viviani and Sir Bradley Wiggins have speculated that Cavendish has taken on "too much" by attempting to win stages of the Tour de France in July and then an Olympic medal on the track in August, but Dubai and Qatar suggested he is capable of merging the two.
Kristoff in shape for another strong spring
The fact that Kristoff beat Cavendish no fewer than three times in Qatar - and twice in side-by-side drag races - hinted that he is in superb early-season form.
And that spells bad news for his rivals in the spring Classics and stage races, which are now just a couple of weeks around the corner.
Kristoff also won three stages of last year's Tour of Qatar and subsequently went on to claim another 13 wins before the end of May, including victories at the Tour of Flanders and Scheldeprijs. If he repeats that form this year, everyone else could end up racing for scraps.
What were your thoughts on the Dubai Tour and Tour of Qatar? Let us know by leaving a comment below or tweeting @SkyCycling.