fot. UAE Tour
Is it possible to organize a lower category race from scratch, in which all 12 editions were won by World Tour cyclists? The answer is positive, because the Tour of Oman is just such an event. Looking at this year’s starting list and as many as 9 World Teams at the start, this series does not seem to be interrupted.
The history of the Tour of Oman, like most races held in the Middle East, is not very long. On the other hand, the event taking place in the south-east of the Arabian Peninsula is older than the now defunct Abu Dhabi Tour, Tour of Qatar or the currently operating UAE Tour, Muscat Classic or AlUla Tour. We are facing the 13th edition of the Tour of Oman – a race that started as a first-class event and following two years was upgraded to the level known today as ProSeries, but at the same time dominated by World Tour cyclists.
The triumph in the general classification in Oman was not achieved by random cyclists from the highest division, but by really well-known and liked cyclists. They were, in turn, Fabian Cancellara (2010), Robert Gesink (2011), Peter Velits (2012), Chris Froome (2013 and 2014), the least successful of this group Rafael Valls (2015), Vincenzo Nibali (2016), Ben Hermans (2017 ), Alexey Lutsenko (2018 and 2019), Jan Hirt (2022) and Matteo Jorgenson (2023). On the lower steps of the podium were, among others: Alberto Contador, Alejandro Valverde and Fabio Aru.
Alexander Kristoff has completed the most stages of the Tour of Oman, as many as 9. The Norwegian will also be at the start this year, but it certainly won’t be easy for him to get a round tenth scalp.
There are as many as 19 Polish cyclists in the history of the race, mainly due to two performances by CCC Sprandi Polkowice, but we are still waiting for a big success for the white and red team. In 2015, Rafał Majka finished the race in 4th place, and Szymon Sajnok also appeared in the top 10 of the stage – specifically in the 2022 edition.
Route
For years, the Tour of Oman has been a “something for everyone” event. This year, the organizers broke away from this pattern a bit and the cyclists will have a sprint opening and 4 stages in a row ending with steep, but short climbs.
The competition in Oman will open with an episode promoting the region. When Oman Across Ages Museum and Oman Convention and Exhibition Center are listed as stage “cities”, we already know what type of competition we are dealing with. I am writing at length regarding the stage’s surroundings, because it will probably be very boring, and following 181 kilometers we will see the only duel of sprinters in this year’s edition.
At the start, there were, among others: Fabio Jakobsen (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL), Caleb Ewan (Team Jayco AlUla), Alvaro José Hodeg (UAE Team Emirates), Bryan Coquard (Courtesy), Paul Magnier i Luke Lamperti (Soudal – Quick Step) Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility), Gleb Syritsa (Astana Qazaqstan Team), Amaury Capiot (Arkéa – B&B Hotels), Francesco Busatto (Intermarché – Wanty) czy Matteo Malucelli (JCL Team UKYO), and only one of them will take the stage scalp. The fight should be really interesting.
From the second day, highlanders and wall specialists will take part. First, they will finish in Qurayyat, which is 2,650 meters with an average slope of 7%. Last year, Jesús Herrada was the best there, and over time, only 5 cyclists crossed the finish line of the winner.
The third stage is a novelty in this race – following a relatively boring 164 kilometers, the cyclists will suddenly face the final climb to Eastern Mountain – 4,600 meters with an average gradient of as much as 8.5%, with the final kilometer being over 14%. This is a real, brutal wall.
Don’t let anyone be fooled by the Stage 4 profile. This one seems to be barely undulating, meanwhile the cyclists will first encounter Fanja (1.1 km; 9.1%), then Jabal Road (3.3 km; 9.8%), and finally the unmarked Wadi Al Kabir (1 .1km; 5.3%), Al Jissah (2.5 km; 6.9%) and Yitti Hills leading to the finish line (1.6 km; 6.8%). A year ago, the similar stage was won by Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates), who is also present at the start of this edition.
At the end of the competition, the cyclists will once once more have a flat stage with a twist at the end – the famous climb to Jabal Al Akhdhar, also known as Green Mountain. This mountain has been present since the 2nd edition of the Tour of Oman, and 5,700 meters with an average slope of 10.5% has always separated the boys from the men. When one minute was behind the winner, only 6-8 competitors usually reached the finish line, and it was here that the general classification of this Middle Eastern race was usually decided.
Weather
Competitors who chose the Arabian Peninsula as a place to catch their racing rhythm cannot complain. Temperatures of 18-22 degrees Celsius, mostly full sun and rather not very strong winds should make the competitors enjoy covering the next kilometers of all five stages.
Favorites
The Tour of Oman is a sure favorite Adam Yates, although his UAE Team Emirates seems to have an Achilles heel in the form of a rather uneven squad. Yes, the Briton will be able to handle the final climbs, but will he? Diego Ulysses i Finn Fisher-Black Will they fully surrender to him in case of any random events along the way? If not, it seems that the burden of work will fall on 35-year-old Vegard Stake Laengen and the fast Álvaro José Hodega, because for Abdulla Alhammadi and Mohammad Almutaiwei, loaned from development, it will be the first race at this level in their careers.
Soudal – Quick Step sends a very strong squad into battle. A year ago Mauri Vansevenant he won at Green Mountain, the previous edition he was the best there Jan Hirt. In both cases he supported them Fausto Masnada and these three may try to somehow surprise the favored UAE Team Emirates. You never know at this stage of the season.
They already had flashes of good form this year Ben Zwiehoff (BORA-hansgrohe) i Warren Barguil (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL). The former will be accompanied by, among others: Emanuel Buchmann and the only Pole in the race – Cesare Benedetti. However, it seems that the German or the Frenchman will fight for the podium rather than the victory in the entire race.
They already know the taste of a stage victory in the Tour of Oman Jesus Herrada (Cofidis) i Anthon Charming (Astana Qazaqstan Team). However, both of them are rather dynamic highlanders, and the royal stage may be a bit too difficult for them, so I would expect them to be somewhere in the second half of the top 10.
They can also fight for a good place in the final general classification Louis Meintjes i Alexy Faure Prost (Intermarché – Wanty), Harm Vanhoucke (Lotto Dstny), Cristian Rodriguez (Arkéa – B&B Hotels), Merhawi Kudus (Terengganu Cycling Team), Jambaljamts Sainbayar (Burgos-BH), Adne van Engelen (Roojai Insurance) or Giovanni Carboni (JCL Team UKYO).
Transmission
The list of stations with broadcast rights worldwide is very long and includes, among others: Eurosport, but at the moment this race is not in the Player program. Most likely, you will have to use online streams to follow the coverage. The stages are held quite early by European standards – starts can take place before 8 a.m., and cyclists should usually arrive at the finish line around noon.