2025 Tour of Oman (2.Pro)

14th edition: February 8 - February 12, 2025

Tour of Oman podium history | 2024 edition | Start list
Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage 4 | Stage 5

2025 Tour of Oman map. Five stages covering 881.4 kilometers

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Wednesday, February 12: Fifth & Final Stage, Imty - Jabal al Akhdhar (Green Mountain), 138.5 km

Stage 5 map & profile

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Weather at the city of Izki, on the route, 28 kilometers from the finish, at 8:30 AM, local time: 22C (72F), sunny, with the wind from the east-southeast at 3 km/hr (2 mph). No rain is forecast. The temperature is forecast to climb to 29C (84F) by noon.

Climb:

• Kilometer 138.5: Jabal al Akhdhar (Green Mountain), 5.7 km @ 5.5%.

The race:

 

Results:

 

Final GC after stage 5:

 

Stage 5 map & profile:

Stage 5 map

Stage 5 profile

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Tuesday, February 11: Stage 4, Oman Across Ages Museum (Manah)- Oman Convention Exhibition Center (Muscat), 181.5 kilometers

Stage 4 map & profile

Olav Kooij wins stage four, his second stage win this Tour of Oman. Photo: Sprint Cycling

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Weather at the finish city of Muscat at 9:00 AM, local time: 23C (74F), fair, with the wind from the southwest at 10 km/hr (6 mph). There is just a 1% chance of rain. The temperature will climb to 25C (76F) by noon.

The race: Here's the race organizer's stage four summary.

In the wake of the first summit finish, the pancake-flat course of stage 4 of the Tour of Oman was a gift-wrapped opportunity for the sprinters, who did not let it go to waste. After completing a winding run through ochre-hued mountains and catching the last survivor of the three-man breakaway —Kongphob Thimachai (Roojai Insurance)— 13 kilometres from the line, the fast men revved up for a drag race to the finish line outside the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Muscat. Olav Kooij (Visma–Lease a Bike) was once again the speediest of the lot, charging to his second victory in the race three days after bagging stage 1 in another bunch sprint.

The Dutchman outgunned Giacomo Nizzolo (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) and Orluis Aular (Movistar Team), at the top of the false flat in the final kilometre. David Gaudu (Groupama–FDJ) held on to the red jersey, still with 6 seconds to spare over Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates XRG) on the eve of the finale, where the race will come to a head on Green Mountain.

Three riders take the lead 
116 riders hopped on the saddle for stage 4 against the sleek, futuristic backdrop of the imposing Oman Across Ages Museum, which showcases the national heritage. The official start came at 11:08 am, following an 8-kilometre neutralisation. Three riders wasted no time in jumping clear: Kongphob Thimachai (Roojai Insurance), Abdulrehman Al Yaaqubi (Omani national team) and Muhammad Mohd Shabri (Terengganu).

Gap balloons to nine minutes 
None of the three escapees had featured in a breakaway since the start of the event. The peloton was happy to give these tentative attackers plenty of rope. Their advantage peaked at 9' 15" at km 35 of the 181.5-kilometre stage, the widest gap so far in the fourteenth Tour of Oman. 

Lightning-fast reflexes save Mohd Shabri 
The average speed was 39 km/h at the halfway point. Al Yaaqubi sat up with 90 kilometres to go, leaving just two riders out front. 7 kilometres later, as the road twisted through a maze of ochre mountains, Mohd Shabri suffered a puncture, only narrowly avoiding a crash thanks to his impressive bike-handling skills. Thimachai waited for his fellow escapee to continue the adventure as a duo, while the peloton slashed its deficit to two minutes thanks to Visma–Lease a Bike's efforts to position the big favourite, Olav Kooij, for a repeat win after stage 1.

Svestad-Bårdseng snags a second 
The gap edged back out to 2' 40" at the second intermediate sprint in Ad Dasur (64 km to go), where Mohd Shabri took the top spot, just as he had done earlier in Al Alya (118 km to go). Embret Svestad-Bårdseng (Arkéa–B&B Hotels), eleventh overall, won the sprint for third from the peloton, scooping up a bonus second that brought the Norwegian within 38 seconds behind the race leader, David Gaudu (Groupama–FDJ), and 4 seconds from the top 8.  

Olav Kooij will start stage five in the points leader's green jersey. Photo: ASO/Thomas Maheux

Kooij claims the bunch sprint 
Thimachai went for broke from 50 kilometres out. Mohd Shabri, caught unawares after his companion attacked from behind, did not even attempt to follow him. The peloton gobbled up the Thai rider with 13 kilometres to go, setting up the expected sprint. Olav Kooij turned on the gas on the false flat in the final kilometre to clinch his second stage win in this edition of the Tour of Oman.

Team Groupama-FDJ's David Gaudu remains the GC leader. Photo: ASO/Thomas Maheux

Complete results:

181.5 kilometers raced at an average speed of 40.098 km/hr

1	Olav Kooij	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	4hr 31min 35sec
2	Giacomo Nizzolo	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
3	Orluis Aular	Movistar Team	s.t.
4	Erlend Blikra	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
5	Max Kanter	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
6	Pavel Bittner	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
7	Emilien Jeannière	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
8	Iván García Cortina	Movistar Team	s.t.
9	Amaury Capiot	Arkea-B&B Hotels	s.t.
10	Florian Vermeersch	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
11	Andrea D'Amato	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
12	Jenthe Biermans	Arkea-B&B Hotels	s.t.
13	Blake Quick	Roojai Insurance	s.t.
14	Rick Pluimers	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
15	Rodrigo Álvarez	Burgos Burpellet BH	s.t.
16	Alessandro Fancellu	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
17	Davide De Pretto	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
18	Felix Engelhardt	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
19	Georgios Boúglas	Burgos Burpellet BH	s.t.
20	Nicolo Garibbo	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
21	Patompob Phonarjthan	Roojai Insurance	s.t.
22	Ruben Guerreiro	Movistar Team	s.t.
23	Marco Brenner	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
24	Adam Yates	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
25	Damien Howson	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
26	Chris Harper	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
27	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
28	David Gaudu	Groupama-FDJ	s.t.
29	David Delgado	Burgos Burpellet BH	s.t.
30	Gianmarco Garofoli	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
31	Asbjørn Hellemose	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
32	Luca Giaimi	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
33	Valentin Paret-Peintre	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
34	Embret Svestad-Bårdseng	Arkea-B&B Hotels	s.t.
35	Mathys Rondel	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
36	Said Alrahbi	Oman National Team	s.t.
37	Mathias Bregnhøj	Terengganu Cycling Team	s.t.
38	Xabier Azparren	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
39	Lawrence Warbasse	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
40	Matteo Badilatti	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
41	Anatolii Budiak	Terengganu Cycling Team	s.t.
42	Cian Uijtdebroeks	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
43	Fabian Weiss	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
44	Marc Cabedo Hernandez	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
45	Jay Vine	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
46	Carlos Garcia	Burgos Burpellet BH	s.t.
47	Michel Ries	Arkea-B&B Hotels	s.t.
48	Wout Poels	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
49	Clément Braz Afonso	Groupama-FDJ	s.t.
50	Nicolas Vinokurov	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
51	David de la Cruz	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
52	Warren Barguil	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
53	Tomoya Koyama	Burgos Burpellet BH	s.t.
54	Simon Dalby	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
55	Henok Mulubrhan	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
56	Anthon Charmig	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
57	Metkel Eyob	Terengganu Cycling Team	s.t.
58	Stian Fredheim	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
59	Rafal Majka	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
60	Elie Gesbert	Arkea-B&B Hotels	s.t.
61	Steff Cras	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
62	Nahom Zeray	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
63	Welay Berhe	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
64	Sean Flynn	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
65	Fakhruddin Mazuki	Terengganu Cycling Team	s.t.
66	Adne van Engelen	Terengganu Cycling Team	s.t.
67	Dylan Hopkins	Roojai Insurance	s.t.
68	Nariyuki Masuda	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
69	Jean-Loup Fayolle	Arkea-B&B Hotels	s.t.
70	Lorenzo Germani	Groupama-FDJ	s.t.
71	Kevin Vermaerke	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
72	Timo Roosen	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
73	Pietro Mattio	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
74	Antonio Pedrero	Movistar Team	s.t.
75	Paul Double	Team Jayco-AlUla	@ 17sec
76	Valentin Madouas	Groupama-FDJ	s.t.
77	Enzo Paleni	Groupama-FDJ	s.t.
78	Jordi Warlop	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
79	Marcel Camprubí	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
80	Mohammed Al-Wahibi	Oman National Team	s.t.
81	Magnus Kulset	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
82	Vegard Stake Laengen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
83	Steven Kruijswijk	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
84	Rudy Molard	Groupama-FDJ	s.t.
85	Louis Vervaeke	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
86	Carter Bettles	Roojai Insurance	s.t.
87	Anthony Turgis	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
88	Daniel McLay	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
89	Léandre Lozouet	Arkea-B&B Hotels	0:38
90	Henrik Pedersen	Uno-X Mobility	0:41
91	Lorrenzo Manzin	Team TotalEnergies	0:47
92	Muhammad Haizam Mohd Shabri	Terengganu Cycling Team	s.t.
93	Geoffrey Soupe	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
94	Lucas Eriksson	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
95	Andreas Miltiadis	Roojai Insurance	s.t.
96	Abdulrahman Alyaqoobi	Oman National Team	s.t.
97	Rayan Boulahoite	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
98	Manabu Ishibashi	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
99	Davide Cimolai	Movistar Team	s.t.
100	Mauri Vansevenant	Soudal Quick-Step	1:07
101	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
102	Tom Donnenwirth	Groupama-FDJ	1:12
103	José Luis Faura	Burgos Burpellet BH	1:18
104	Davide Toneatti	XDS Astana Team	1:24
105	Alan Jousseaume	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
106	Rasmus Bøgh Wallin	Uno-X Mobility	1:42
107	Fernando Gaviria	Movistar Team	1:49
108	Niklas Behrens	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	2:00
109	Sakarias Koller Løland	Uno-X Mobility	2:06
110	Pepijn Reinderink	Soudal Quick-Step	2:10
111	Robbe Dhondt	Team Picnic PostNL	2:30
112	Mazin Al Riyami	Oman National Team	2:48
113	Kane Richards	Roojai Insurance	2:54
114	Mario Aparicio	Burgos Burpellet BH	@ 0sec
115	Kongphob Thimachai	Roojai Insurance	3:52

 

GC after stage 4:

• GC leader: David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ)
• Points classification leader: Olav Kooij (Visma | Lease a Bike)
• Most active rider: Rodrigo Alvarez Rodriguez (Burgos Burpellet-BH)
• Best young rider: Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step)
• Teams classification leader: Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team

742.9 kilometers raced so far at an average speed of 41.272 km/hr

1	David Gaudu	Groupama-FDJ	18hr 0min 1sec
2	Adam Yates	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	@ 6sec
3	Damien Howson	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	0:12
4	Valentin Paret-Peintre	Soudal Quick-Step	0:18
5	Marco Brenner	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	0:24
6	Chris Harper	Team Jayco-AlUla	0:27
7	Cian Uijtdebroeks	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
8	Ruben Guerreiro	Movistar Team	0:34
9	Wout Poels	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
10	Embret Svestad-Bårdseng	Arkea-B&B Hotels	0:38
11	Nahom Zeray	JCL Team Ukyo	0:44
12	Kevin Vermaerke	Team Picnic PostNL	0:45
13	Simon Dalby	Uno-X Mobility	0:46
14	Rafal Majka	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
15	Mario Aparicio	Burgos Burpellet BH	0:50
16	David Delgado	Burgos Burpellet BH	0:51
17	Warren Barguil	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
18	David de la Cruz	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
19	Matteo Badilatti	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	0:54
20	Henok Mulubrhan	XDS Astana Team	1:00
21	Mathys Rondel	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	1:05
22	Nicolo Garibbo	JCL Team Ukyo	1:11
23	Anatolii Budiak	Terengganu Cycling Team	1:13
24	Mathias Bregnhøj	Terengganu Cycling Team	1:15
25	Alessandro Fancellu	JCL Team Ukyo	1:25
26	Carlos Garcia	Burgos Burpellet BH	s.t.
27	Elie Gesbert	Arkea-B&B Hotels	s.t.
28	Adne van Engelen	Terengganu Cycling Team	1:33
29	Lawrence Warbasse	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	1:36
30	Clément Braz Afonso	Groupama-FDJ	1:36
31	Xabier Azparren	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	1:41
32	Steff Cras	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
33	Davide De Pretto	Team Jayco-AlUla	1:44
34	Gianmarco Garofoli	Soudal Quick-Step	1:59
35	Pietro Mattio	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	2:04
36	Sean Flynn	Team Picnic PostNL	2:14
37	José Luis Faura	Burgos Burpellet BH	2:25
38	Mauri Vansevenant	Soudal Quick-Step	2:28
39	Anthon Charmig	XDS Astana Team	2:36
40	Marc Cabedo Hernandez	JCL Team Ukyo	2:51
41	Iván García Cortina	Movistar Team	3:54
42	Steven Kruijswijk	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	3:57
43	Louis Vervaeke	Soudal Quick-Step	4:10
44	Tom Donnenwirth	Groupama-FDJ	4:38
45	Rudy Molard	Groupama-FDJ	5:57
46	Lorenzo Germani	Groupama-FDJ	6:09
47	Magnus Kulset	Uno-X Mobility	6:18
48	Amaury Capiot	Arkea-B&B Hotels	6:53
49	Antonio Pedrero	Movistar Team	7:04
50	Felix Engelhardt	Team Jayco-AlUla	7:17
51	Robbe Dhondt	Team Picnic PostNL	8:18
52	Jay Vine	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	8:24
53	Marcel Camprubí	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	8:35
54	Sakarias Koller Løland	Uno-X Mobility	8:45
55	Jenthe Biermans	Arkea-B&B Hotels	8:48
56	Metkel Eyob	Terengganu Cycling Team	s.t.
57	Nariyuki Masuda	JCL Team Ukyo	9:13
58	Henrik Pedersen	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
59	Michel Ries	Arkea-B&B Hotels	9:14
60	Dylan Hopkins	Roojai Insurance	9:45
61	Enzo Paleni	Groupama-FDJ	11:21
62	Lucas Eriksson	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	11:22
63	Valentin Madouas	Groupama-FDJ	12:19
64	Davide Toneatti	XDS Astana Team	12:28
65	Jean-Loup Fayolle	Arkea-B&B Hotels	13:18
66	Asbjørn Hellemose	Team Jayco-AlUla	13:20
67	Max Kanter	XDS Astana Team	13:42
68	Rayan Boulahoite	Team TotalEnergies	13:49
69	Rick Pluimers	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	14:21
70	Alan Jousseaume	Team TotalEnergies	14:31
71	Orluis Aular	Movistar Team	14:55
72	Giacomo Nizzolo	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	15:15
73	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	15:16
74	Emilien Jeannière	Team TotalEnergies	15:35
75	Niklas Behrens	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	16:12
76	Rodrigo Álvarez	Burgos Burpellet BH	17:15
77	Fabian Weiss	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	17:32
78	Pepijn Reinderink	Soudal Quick-Step	17:37
79	Timo Roosen	Team Picnic PostNL	17:58
80	Welay Berhe	Team Jayco-AlUla	18:07
81	Lorrenzo Manzin	Team TotalEnergies	18:14
82	Nicolas Vinokurov	XDS Astana Team	19:06
83	Geoffrey Soupe	Team TotalEnergies	19:07
84	Paul Double	Team Jayco-AlUla	19:15
85	Jordi Warlop	Soudal Quick-Step	19:21
86	Pavel Bittner	Team Picnic PostNL	20:11
87	Stian Fredheim	Uno-X Mobility	20:13
88	Florian Vermeersch	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	20:26
89	Vegard Stake Laengen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	20:43
90	Georgios Boúglas	Burgos Burpellet BH	21:21
91	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	21:43
92	Luca Giaimi	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	23:18
93	Léandre Lozouet	Arkea-B&B Hotels	23:40
94	Anthony Turgis	Team TotalEnergies	24:02:00
95	Olav Kooij	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	24:30
96	Andrea D'Amato	JCL Team Ukyo	24:50
97	Blake Quick	Roojai Insurance	25:06
98	Daniel McLay	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	25:07
99	Andreas Miltiadis	Roojai Insurance	25:37
100	Manabu Ishibashi	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
101	Erlend Blikra	Uno-X Mobility	25:52
102	Kane Richards	Roojai Insurance	26:31
103	Davide Cimolai	Movistar Team	26:33
104	Fernando Gaviria	Movistar Team	26:39
105	Rasmus Bøgh Wallin	Uno-X Mobility	28:59
106	Patompob Phonarjthan	Roojai Insurance	29:14
107	Carter Bettles	Roojai Insurance	29:30
108	Fakhruddin Mazuki	Terengganu Cycling Team	29:45
109	Said Alrahbi	Oman National Team	31:33
110	Muhammad Haizam Mohd Shabri	Terengganu Cycling Team	31:37
111	Tomoya Koyama	Burgos Burpellet BH	32:04
112	Kongphob Thimachai	Roojai Insurance	32:50
113	Mohammed Al-Wahibi	Oman National Team	37:01
114	Abdulrahman Alyaqoobi	Oman National Team	37:49
115	Mazin Al Riyami	Oman National Team	38:20

 

Stage 4 map & profile:

Stage 4 map

Stage 4 profile

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Monday, February 10: Stage 3, Fanja - Eastern Mountain, 180.8 km

Stage 3 map & profile

David Gaudu wins the stage and is the new GC leader.

Les Woodland's book Tour de France: The Inside Story - Making the World's Greatest Bicycle Race is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Weather at the city of Al Hamra, on the route, 5 kilometers from the finish, at 8:45 AM, local time: 21C (70F), sunny, with the wind from the south-southwest at 3 km/hr (2 mph). No rain is forecast. The temperature will climb to 27C (81F) by 2:00 PM.

Climb:

• Km 180.8: Eastern Mountain, 4.6 kilometers at 8%

The race: Here's the race organizer's stage three summary.

The fourteenth edition of the Tour of Oman tackled the first of its two summit finishes in Monday's 180.8-kilometre stage 3. Legs tingling in anticipation of their first real test of the season, the climbers went head to head on Eastern Mountain (1,016 masl), under the gaze of Jabal Sham, the highest peak in the Sultanate (3,018 masl). David Gaudu (Groupama–FDJ) proved strongest in the long-awaited duel that pitted him against the reigning champion, Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates XRG). After firing off multiple attacks within the last few hundred metres of the final ascent (4.8 km at 8.5%), the Breton outsprinted the British rider by 1 second, with Damien Howson (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) third at five seconds.

Damien Howson finishes third. photo: Sprint Cycling

Gaudu opened his account for the season and wrested the leader's red jersey from Louis Vervaeke (Soudal–Quick-Step), who was dropped with three kilometres to go after going into the red for his teammate Valentin Paret-Peintre, fourth at 13 seconds. Gaudu has 6 seconds in hand over Yates and 12 over Howson going into the last two stages.

Six in the mix
Each of the 117 riders who had reached Yitti Hills yesterday hopped on the saddle for stage 3 in the stifling heat that pervaded Fanja at 10:34 am. Six men made an early move: Nicolas Vinokourov (XDS Astana), Rayan Boulahoite (TotalEnergies), Nur Amirull Mazuki (Terengganu), Andreas Miltiadis (Roojai Insurance) and the Omani national team members Said Al-Rahbi and Mohamed Al-Wahibi. The latter had joined the break in the two previous stages too, but a puncture at km 27 brought his third attempt in as many days to a premature end. Unable to re-establish contact with his erstwhile companions, he sat up and waited for the peloton. 

Two squads take over the reins
The escapees spared no effort (44.5 km in the first hour), but the peloton was not willing to give them an inch more than strictly necessary, following Louis Vervaeke's tour de force 24 hours earlier. It was precisely the team of the new overall leader, Soudal–Quick-Step, that set the pace in the bunch to keep the gap below three minutes after it peaked at 3′20″. UAE Team Emirates XRG soon arrived to lend a helping hand and defend the interests of Adam Yates, the reigning champion and hot favourite to take back-to-back titles. 

Boulahoite and Vinokourov press on
Meanwhile, utter carnage unfolded in the breakaway, with Al-Rahbi, Miltiadis and Mazuki cracking at 118, 111 and 102 km to go, respectively, leaving Vinokourov Jr and Boulahoite alone at the front for the final 100 kilometres. Unperturbed, the two men kept going and went through the first intermediate sprint at Birkat Al Mouz (58 km to go) with a 2-minute advantage. Vinokourov took top points, while Kevin Vermaerke (Picnic PostNL) led the peloton across the line and picked up a bonus second. 

Vinokourov in the lead at the foot of the final climb
The pack was in no hurry to shut down the breakaway, allowing the difference to grow back to three minutes. It was still 2′05″ by the time that Vinokourov gapped Boulahoite 10 kilometres from the line. The 22-year-old from Kazakhstan took the second intermediate sprint at Al Hamra —where X grabbed third place and a bonus second— and started the final ascent to Eastern Mountain (4.8 km at 8.4%) with a 50-second buffer. 

Gaudu gets the better of Yates
Vinokourov got caught 2.7 kilometres from the line, around the time that the red jersey, Vervaeke, got jettisoned from the main group after working at the front of the peloton. Groupama–FDJ took over from there. Clément Braz Afonso put in a mammoth shift to set up his leader David Gaudu for an attack under the red kite. Despite repeated attempts, the Breton was unable to open up a gap, with Adam Yates glued to his wheel.

At long last, Gaudu managed to outgun the British rider in a fiercely contested sprint for the stage win, which also catapulted him to the top of the leader board. He followed in the slipstream of Matteo Jorgenson, the first victor at the top of this summit back in 2023.

Yates gets his breath after the hard climb. I assume that's winner David Gaudu collapsed on the right.

Complete results:

180.8 kilometers raced at an average speed of 42.347 km/hr

1	David Gaudu	Groupama-FDJ	4hr 16min 10sec
2	Adam Yates	UAE Team Emirates	@ 1sec
3	Damien Howson	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	0:05
4	Valentin Paret-Peintre	Soudal Quick-Step	0:13
5	Marco Brenner	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
6	Cian Uijtdebroeks	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	0:16
7	Chris Harper	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
8	Diego Ulissi	XDS Astana Team	0:23
9	Ruben Guerreiro	Movistar Team	s.t.
10	Wout Poels	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
11	Embret Svestad-Bårdseng	Arkea-B&B Hotels	0:28
12	Nahom Zeray	JCL Team Ukyo	0:33
13	Simon Dalby	Uno-X Mobility	0:35
14	Kevin Vermaerke	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
15	Rafal Majka	UAE Team Emirates	s.t.
16	Mario Aparicio	Burgos Burpellet BH	0:39
17	David Delgado	Burgos Burpellet BH	0:40
18	Warren Barguil	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
19	David de la Cruz	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
20	Matteo Badilatti	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	0:43
21	Henok Mulubrhan	XDS Astana Team	0:49
22	Mathys Rondel	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	0:54
23	Adne van Engelen	Terengganu Cycling Team	0:56
24	José Luis Faura	Burgos Burpellet BH	s.t.
25	Nicolo Garibbo	JCL Team Ukyo	1:00
26	Anatolii Budiak	Terengganu Cycling Team	1:02
27	Mathias Bregnhøj	Terengganu Cycling Team	1:04
28	Mauri Vansevenant	Soudal Quick-Step	1:10
29	Elie Gesbert	Arkea-B&B Hotels	1:14
30	Alessandro Fancellu	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
31	Xabier Azparren	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
32	Carlos Garcia	Burgos Burpellet BH	s.t.
33	Michel Ries	Arkea-B&B Hotels	1:25
34	Pietro Mattio	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
35	Clément Braz Afonso	Groupama-FDJ	s.t.
36	Lawrence Warbasse	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
37	Steff Cras	Team TotalEnergies	1:30
38	Davide De Pretto	Team Jayco-AlUla	1:33
39	Gianmarco Garofoli	Soudal Quick-Step	1:48
40	Steven Kruijswijk	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	1:59
41	Robbe Dhondt	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
42	Marc Cabedo Hernandez	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
43	Sean Flynn	Team Picnic PostNL	2:07
44	Anthon Charmig	XDS Astana Team	2:25
45	Jay Vine	UAE Team Emirates	2:36
46	Jean-Loup Fayolle	Arkea-B&B Hotels	2:43
47	Metkel Eyob	Terengganu Cycling Team	3:00
48	Valentin Madouas	Groupama-FDJ	3:05
49	Rudy Molard	Groupama-FDJ	s.t.
50	Iván García Cortina	Movistar Team	3:15
51	Antonio Pedrero	Movistar Team	s.t.
52	Lorenzo Germani	Groupama-FDJ	s.t.
53	Tom Donnenwirth	Groupama-FDJ	s.t.
54	Asbjørn Hellemose	Team Jayco-AlUla	3:34
55	Louis Vervaeke	Soudal Quick-Step	3:54
56	Magnus Kulset	Uno-X Mobility	3:57
57	Marcel Camprubí	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	4:29
58	Amaury Capiot	Arkea-B&B Hotels	4:35
59	Nariyuki Masuda	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
60	Sakarias Koller Løland	Uno-X Mobility	4:51
61	Orluis Aular	Movistar Team	5:13
62	Alan Jousseaume	Team TotalEnergies	5:18
63	Nicolas Vinokurov	XDS Astana Team	5:35
64	Henrik Pedersen	Uno-X Mobility	5:55
65	Enzo Paleni	Groupama-FDJ	6:06
66	Kongphob Thimachai	Roojai Insurance	7:02
67	Felix Engelhardt	Team Jayco-AlUla	7:06
68	Dylan Hopkins	Roojai Insurance	s.t.
69	Jenthe Biermans	Arkea-B&B Hotels	7:15
70	Timo Roosen	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
71	Davide Toneatti	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
72	Patompob Phonarjthan	Roojai Insurance	s.t.
73	Lucas Eriksson	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	7:41
74	Lorrenzo Manzin	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
75	Geoffrey Soupe	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
76	Emilien Jeannière	Team TotalEnergies	7:46
77	Georgios Boúglas	Burgos Burpellet BH	s.t.
78	Fabian Weiss	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
79	Léandre Lozouet	Arkea-B&B Hotels	s.t.
80	Fakhruddin Mazuki	Terengganu Cycling Team	s.t.
81	Paul Double	Team Jayco-AlUla	8:21
82	Welay Berhe	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
83	Anthony Turgis	Team TotalEnergies	8:29
84	Rodrigo Álvarez	Burgos Burpellet BH	s.t.
85	Muhammad Haizam Mohd Shabri	Terengganu Cycling Team	8:57
86	Rasmus Bøgh Wallin	Uno-X Mobility	9:30
87	Stian Fredheim	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
88	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	9:34
89	Rick Pluimers	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
90	Olav Kooij	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
91	Pavel Bittner	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
92	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
93	Andrea D'Amato	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
94	Luca Giaimi	UAE Team Emirates	s.t.
95	Said Alrahbi	Oman National Team	s.t.
96	Fernando Gaviria	Movistar Team	s.t.
97	Giacomo Nizzolo	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
98	Manabu Ishibashi	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
99	Davide Cimolai	Movistar Team	s.t.
100	Daniel McLay	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
101	Rayan Boulahoite	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
102	Andreas Miltiadis	Roojai Insurance	s.t.
103	Blake Quick	Roojai Insurance	9:50
104	Kane Richards	Roojai Insurance	s.t.
105	Carter Bettles	Roojai Insurance	s.t.
106	Max Kanter	XDS Astana Team	9:53
107	Tomoya Koyama	Burgos Burpellet BH	10:05
108	Jordi Warlop	Soudal Quick-Step	10:07
109	Mohammed Al-Wahibi	Oman National Team	s.t.
110	Niklas Behrens	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	10:23
111	Erlend Blikra	Uno-X Mobility	10:40
112	Vegard Stake Laengen	UAE Team Emirates	s.t.
113	Florian Vermeersch	UAE Team Emirates	s.t.
114	Pepijn Reinderink	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
115	Mazin Al Riyami	Oman National Team	13:33
116	Abdulrahman Alyaqoobi	Oman National Team	15:05

 

GC after stage 3:

• GC leader: David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ)
• Points classification leader: Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudfal Quick-Step)
• Most active rider: Rodrigo Alvarez Rodriguez (Burgos Burpellet-BH)
• Best young rider: Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step)
• Teams classification leader: Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team

561.4 kilometers raced so far at an average speed of 41.666 km/hr

1	David Gaudu	Groupama-FDJ	13hr 28min 26sec
2	Adam Yates	UAE Team Emirates	@ 6sec
3	Damien Howson	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	0:12
4	Valentin Paret-Peintre	Soudal Quick-Step	0:18
5	Marco Brenner	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	0:24
6	Chris Harper	Team Jayco-AlUla	0:27
7	Cian Uijtdebroeks	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
8	Diego Ulissi	XDS Astana Team	0:34
9	Wout Poels	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
10	Ruben Guerreiro	Movistar Team	s.t.
11	Embret Svestad-Bårdseng	Arkea-B&B Hotels	0:39
12	Nahom Zeray	JCL Team Ukyo	0:44
13	Kevin Vermaerke	Team Picnic PostNL	0:45
14	Simon Dalby	Uno-X Mobility	0:46
15	Rafal Majka	UAE Team Emirates	s.t.
16	Mario Aparicio	Burgos Burpellet BH	0:50
17	David Delgado	Burgos Burpellet BH	0:51
18	Warren Barguil	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
19	David de la Cruz	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	0:51
20	Matteo Badilatti	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	0:54
21	Henok Mulubrhan	XDS Astana Team	1:00
22	Mathys Rondel	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	1:05
23	José Luis Faura	Burgos Burpellet BH	1:07
24	Nicolo Garibbo	JCL Team Ukyo	1:11
25	Anatolii Budiak	Terengganu Cycling Team	1:13
26	Mathias Bregnhøj	Terengganu Cycling Team	1:15
27	Mauri Vansevenant	Soudal Quick-Step	1:21
28	Alessandro Fancellu	JCL Team Ukyo	1:25
29	Carlos Garcia	Burgos Burpellet BH	s.t.
30	Elie Gesbert	Arkea-B&B Hotels	s.t.
31	Adne van Engelen	Terengganu Cycling Team	1:33
32	Lawrence Warbasse	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	1:36
33	Clément Braz Afonso	Groupama-FDJ	s.t.
34	Xabier Azparren	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	1:41
35	Steff Cras	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
36	Davide De Pretto	Team Jayco-AlUla	1:44
37	Gianmarco Garofoli	Soudal Quick-Step	1:59
38	Pietro Mattio	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	2:04
39	Sean Flynn	Team Picnic PostNL	2:14
40	Anthon Charmig	XDS Astana Team	2:36
41	Marc Cabedo Hernandez	JCL Team Ukyo	2:51
42	Tom Donnenwirth	Groupama-FDJ	3:26
43	Steven Kruijswijk	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	3:40
44	Louis Vervaeke	Soudal Quick-Step	3:53
45	Iván García Cortina	Movistar Team	3:54
46	Rudy Molard	Groupama-FDJ	5:40
47	Robbe Dhondt	Team Picnic PostNL	5:48
48	Magnus Kulset	Uno-X Mobility	6:01
49	Lorenzo Germani	Groupama-FDJ	6:09
50	Sakarias Koller Løland	Uno-X Mobility	6:39
51	Amaury Capiot	Arkea-B&B Hotels	6:53
52	Antonio Pedrero	Movistar Team	7:04
53	Felix Engelhardt	Team Jayco-AlUla	7:17
54	Marcel Camprubí	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	8:18
55	Jay Vine	UAE Team Emirates	8:24
56	Henrik Pedersen	Uno-X Mobility	8:32
57	Jenthe Biermans	Arkea-B&B Hotels	8:48
58	Metkel Eyob	Terengganu Cycling Team	s.t.
59	Nariyuki Masuda	JCL Team Ukyo	9:13
60	Michel Ries	Arkea-B&B Hotels	9:14
61	Dylan Hopkins	Roojai Insurance	9:45
62	Lucas Eriksson	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	10:35
63	Enzo Paleni	Groupama-FDJ	11:04
64	Davide Toneatti	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
65	Valentin Madouas	Groupama-FDJ	12:02
66	Rayan Boulahoite	Team TotalEnergies	13:02
67	Alan Jousseaume	Team TotalEnergies	13:07
68	Jean-Loup Fayolle	Arkea-B&B Hotels	13:18
69	Asbjørn Hellemose	Team Jayco-AlUla	13:20
70	Max Kanter	XDS Astana Team	13:42
71	Niklas Behrens	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	14:12
72	Rick Pluimers	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	14:21
73	Orluis Aular	Movistar Team	14:59
74	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	15:16
75	Giacomo Nizzolo	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	15:21
76	Pepijn Reinderink	Soudal Quick-Step	15:27
77	Emilien Jeannière	Team TotalEnergies	15:35
78	Rodrigo Álvarez	Burgos Burpellet BH	17:15
79	Lorrenzo Manzin	Team TotalEnergies	17:27
80	Fabian Weiss	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	17:32
81	Timo Roosen	Team Picnic PostNL	17:58
82	Welay Berhe	Team Jayco-AlUla	18:07
83	Geoffrey Soupe	Team TotalEnergies	18:20
84	Paul Double	Team Jayco-AlUla	18:58
85	Jordi Warlop	Soudal Quick-Step	19:04
86	Nicolas Vinokurov	XDS Astana Team	19:06
87	Pavel Bittner	Team Picnic PostNL	20:11
88	Stian Fredheim	Uno-X Mobility	20:13
89	Florian Vermeersch	UAE Team Emirates	20:26
90	Vegard Stake Laengen	UAE Team Emirates	s.t.
91	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	20:36
92	Georgios Boúglas	Burgos Burpellet BH	21:21
93	Léandre Lozouet	Arkea-B&B Hotels	23:02
94	Luca Giaimi	UAE Team Emirates	23:18
95	Kane Richards	Roojai Insurance	23:37
96	Anthony Turgis	Team TotalEnergies	23:45
97	Olav Kooij	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	24:40
98	Andrea D'Amato	JCL Team Ukyo	24:50
99	Fernando Gaviria	Movistar Team	s.t.
100	Daniel McLay	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
101	Andreas Miltiadis	Roojai Insurance	s.t.
102	Manabu Ishibashi	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
103	Blake Quick	Roojai Insurance	25:06
104	Davide Cimolai	Movistar Team	25:46
105	Erlend Blikra	Uno-X Mobility	25:52
106	Rasmus Bøgh Wallin	Uno-X Mobility	27:17
107	Kongphob Thimachai	Roojai Insurance	29:01
108	Carter Bettles	Roojai Insurance	29:13
109	Patompob Phonarjthan	Roojai Insurance	29:14
110	Fakhruddin Mazuki	Terengganu Cycling Team	29:45
111	Muhammad Haizam Mohd Shabri	Terengganu Cycling Team	30:56
112	Said Alrahbi	Oman National Team	31:33
113	Tomoya Koyama	Burgos Burpellet BH	32:04
114	Mazin Al Riyami	Oman National Team	35:32
115	Mohammed Al-Wahibi	Oman National Team	36:44
116	Abdulrahman Alyaqoobi	Oman National Team	37:04

 

Stage 3 map & profile:

Stage 3 map

Stage 3 profile

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Sunday, February 9: Stage 2, Al Rustaq Fort - Yitti Hills, 202.9 km

While Louis Vervaeke can sit up and enjoy his win, you can see a crash behind him. Photo: Getty Sport.

Stage 2 map & profile

Marcus Aurelius' Meditations is available in both Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Weather at finish city of Yitti at 8:40AM, local time: 24C (75F), sunny, with the wind from the west-southwest at 6 km/hr (4 mph). No rain is forecast. The temperature is forecast to climb to 27C (81F) by noon.

Climb:

• Km 90.4: Climb of Fanja, 1.1 kilometer at 9.4%.

The race: Here's the race organizer's stage two report.

From the first few pedal strokes at Al Rustaq Fort, which provided the scenic backdrop to the start, the peloton had to play whack-a-mole with a horde of breakaway specialists undaunted by the 203 kilometres of stage 2 —the longest of the Tour of Oman.

The five men in the early breakaway pushed their advantage to five minutes at the foot of Bousher Al Amerat, where the going got tough. Louis Vervaeke (Soudal–Quick-Step) and Mikel Azparren (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) managed to bridge the gap near the halfway point. The Belgian and the Spaniard soon upped the pace with Magnus Kulset (Uno-X Mobility) in tow. Although the new three-man lead group still enjoyed a five-minute buffer going into the last 30 kilometres, it melted to just over a minute with 10 kilometres to go, when Vervaeke went for broke.

The 31-year-old puncheur, a reliable domestique ever since he turned neo-pro, grabbed his maiden pro win at the end of a performance full of panache and suspense, crossing the finish line with just two seconds to spare over the peloton in a crash-marred finale. Vervaeke triumphed atop the Yitti Hills, beating his teammate Valentin Paret-Peintre and Sean Flynn (Picnic PostNL) and vaulting into the overall lead.

Dig deep to break away
A bunch of riders huddled against the ochre walls of Al Rustaq Fort, seeking some respite from the unforgiving morning sun before stage 2 —the longest of the fourteenth Tour of Oman at 202.9 kilometres— got under way. All 119 riders who crossed the finish line yesterday sprang back into action at 10:14 am today. Many riders jockeyed for a position in the breakaway of the day, including two Soudal–Quick-Step riders who tried to assemble a decent group, but nothing stuck until km 9. Kane Richards (Roojai Insurance), determined to defend his golden fleece as the leader of the combativity standings, hit the front together with Rodrigo Álvarez (Burgos Burpellet BH) in a repeat of stage 1, in which the duo had been caught 25 kilometres from the line.

No challenge too big for Vervaeke
Mohamed Al-Wahibi (Omani national team), who had also featured in the breakaway the day before, soon linked up with the men at the front, followed by Mundher Al-Hsani (Omani national team) and Magnus Kulset (Uno-X Mobility) at km 24. The peloton took some time to make up its mind, letting the gap grow to six minutes before splitting into three parts at km 34. After a period of détente allowed the bunch to reform, a 17-man counter-attack sprang from the main group at km 63, including Valentin Madouas (Groupama–FDJ) and Ethan Hayter (Soudal–Quick-Step), but it was soon shut down. It was at this point, with the peloton five minutes behind the lead group with 140 kilometres to go, that Louis Vervaeke (Soudal–Quick-Step) decided to take matters into his own hands.

The lead group swells
It was a bold move, to say the least, but the Belgian managed to close the gap with 102 kilometres to go together with Mikel Azparren (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), who had caught up with him 19 kilometres earlier. There were now six men at the front of the race: Al-Hsani had been dropped on the Fanja climb (112.5 km to go), where Álvarez and Kane had been the first riders over the top, as in the Wadi Al Maawil intermediate sprint (144 km to go). Madouas also tried to crash the party, first on his own (km 120) and then with Movistar's Orluis Aular (106 km to go). The Olympic silver medallist and the Venezuelan moved within 4 minutes with 93 kilometres to go, with the peloton trailing by 7' 05", but it was to no avail. The peloton gobbled them up at the second intermediate sprint in Al Kabar (61 km to go), where Álvarez had beaten Kane 5' 45" earlier.

The power of three
Bousher Al Amerat, a 3.3 km ascent at an average gradient of 9.8%, smashed the breakaway to smithereens. Kulset, Vervaeke and Azparren dumped their companions and went over the top (48 km to go) in this same order. The three men soldiered on despite a headwind and the bunch picking up steam under Jayco–AlUla. The gap dwindled from five minutes with 30 kilometres to go to just a minute and a half by 11 kilometres to go, prompting Vervaeke to hit out solo on Al Jissah, the second-last climb of the stage.

Vervaeke hangs on for dear life
The Belgian clearly brought his A game today. Groupama–FDJ put the pedal to the metal in the peloton as Vervaeke reached the bottom of the last difficulty (3 km, including a 1.6 km section at 6.8%) with a minute in hand. A handful of seconds separated the pack from its prey at the beginning of the home straight, as multiple riders crashed in the finale, but it was enough for Vervaeke to raise his arms in triumph, two seconds ahead of his teammate Valentin Paret-Peintre, who sprinted to second.

Complete results:

Davide De Pietto was relegated from 6th to 33rd.

202.9 kilometers raced at an average speed of 42.701 km/hr

1	Louis Vervaeke	Soudal Quick-Step	4hr 45min 6sec
2	Valentin Paret-Peintre	Soudal Quick-Step	@ 2sec
3	Sean Flynn	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
4	Felix Engelhardt	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
5	Marco Brenner	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
6	Henok Mulubrhan	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
7	Steff Cras	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
8	Adam Yates	UAE Team Emirates	s.t.
9	Mathys Rondel	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
10	David Gaudu	Groupama-FDJ	s.t.
11	Alessandro Fancellu	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
12	Diego Ulissi	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
13	Damien Howson	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
14	Lawrence Warbasse	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
15	David Delgado	Burgos Burpellet BH	s.t.
16	Cian Uijtdebroeks	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
17	Matteo Badilatti	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
18	Warren Barguil	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
19	Wout Poels	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
20	Mario Aparicio	Burgos Burpellet BH	s.t.
21	Carlos Garcia	Burgos Burpellet BH	s.t.
22	Rafal Majka	UAE Team Emirates	s.t.
23	Simon Dalby	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
24	Mathias Bregnhøj	Terengganu Cycling Team	s.t.
25	Embret Svestad-Bårdseng	Arkea-B&B Hotels	s.t.
26	Elie Gesbert	Arkea-B&B Hotels	s.t.
27	Anthon Charmig	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
28	Nahom Zeray	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
29	Anatolii Budiak	Terengganu Cycling Team	s.t.
30	Mauri Vansevenant	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
31	José Luis Faura	Burgos Burpellet BH	s.t.
32	Chris Harper	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
33	Davide De Pretto	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
34	Xabier Azparren	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	0:18
35	David de la Cruz	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	@ 2sec
36	Clément Braz Afonso	Groupama-FDJ	s.t.
37	Adne van Engelen	Terengganu Cycling Team	0:28
38	Gianmarco Garofoli	Soudal Quick-Step	@ 2sec
39	Iván García Cortina	Movistar Team	0:30
40	Pietro Mattio	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
41	Sakarias Koller Løland	Uno-X Mobility	0:43
42	Marc Cabedo Hernandez	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
43	Jenthe Biermans	Arkea-B&B Hotels	1:24
44	Steven Kruijswijk	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	1:32
45	Ruben Guerreiro	Movistar Team	@ 2sec
46	Nicolo Garibbo	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
47	Kevin Vermaerke	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
48	Magnus Kulset	Uno-X Mobility	1:56
49	Amaury Capiot	Arkea-B&B Hotels	2:09
50	Rudy Molard	Groupama-FDJ	2:26
51	Henrik Pedersen	Uno-X Mobility	2:28
52	Dylan Hopkins	Roojai Insurance	2:30
53	Rayan Boulahoite	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
54	Tom Donnenwirth	Groupama-FDJ	@ 2sec
55	Lorenzo Germani	Groupama-FDJ	2:45
56	Lucas Eriksson	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
57	Niklas Behrens	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	3:40
58	Max Kanter	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
59	Robbe Dhondt	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
60	Davide Toneatti	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
61	Marcel Camprubí	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
62	Antonio Pedrero	Movistar Team	s.t.
63	Nariyuki Masuda	JCL Team Ukyo	4:29
64	Rick Pluimers	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	4:38
65	Pepijn Reinderink	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
66	Enzo Paleni	Groupama-FDJ	4:49
67	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	5:33
68	Giacomo Nizzolo	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	5:39
69	Jay Vine	UAE Team Emirates	s.t.
70	Metkel Eyob	Terengganu Cycling Team	s.t.
71	Michel Ries	Arkea-B&B Hotels	7:40
72	Emilien Jeannière	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
73	Alan Jousseaume	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
74	Valentin Madouas	Groupama-FDJ	8:48
75	Jordi Warlop	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
76	Rodrigo Álvarez	Burgos Burpellet BH	s.t.
77	Fabian Weiss	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	9:37
78	Welay Berhe	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
79	Florian Vermeersch	UAE Team Emirates	s.t.
80	Vegard Stake Laengen	UAE Team Emirates	s.t.
81	Geoffrey Soupe	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
82	Lorrenzo Manzin	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
83	Asbjørn Hellemose	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
84	Orluis Aular	Movistar Team	s.t.
85	Kane Richards	Roojai Insurance	9:40
86	Jean-Loup Fayolle	Arkea-B&B Hotels	10:26
87	Paul Double	Team Jayco-AlUla	10:28
88	Pavel Bittner	Team Picnic PostNL	10:34
89	Timo Roosen	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
90	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
91	Stian Fredheim	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
92	Georgios Boúglas	Burgos Burpellet BH	13:26
93	Nicolas Vinokurov	XDS Astana Team	13:28
94	Luca Giaimi	UAE Team Emirates	13:35
95	Anthony Turgis	Team TotalEnergies	15:07
96	Daniel McLay	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
97	Rasmus Bøgh Wallin	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
98	Olav Kooij	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
99	Blake Quick	Roojai Insurance	s.t.
100	Fernando Gaviria	Movistar Team	s.t.
101	Davide Cimolai	Movistar Team	s.t.
102	Léandre Lozouet	Arkea-B&B Hotels	s.t.
103	Andrea D'Amato	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
104	Carter Bettles	Roojai Insurance	s.t.
105	Erlend Blikra	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
106	Andreas Miltiadis	Roojai Insurance	s.t.
107	Manabu Ishibashi	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
108	Tomoya Koyama	Burgos Burpellet BH	21:50
109	Muhammad Haizam Mohd Shabri	Terengganu Cycling Team	s.t.
110	Luc Wirtgen	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
111	Patompob Phonarjthan	Roojai Insurance	s.t.
112	Kongphob Thimachai	Roojai Insurance	s.t.
113	Fakhruddin Mazuki	Terengganu Cycling Team	s.t.
114	Said Alrahbi	Oman National Team	s.t.
115	Abdulrahman Alyaqoobi	Oman National Team	s.t.
116	Mohammed Al-Wahibi	Oman National Team	s.t.
117	Mazin Al Riyami	Oman National Team	s.t.

 

GC after stage 2:

• GC leader: Louis Vervaeke (Soudal-Quick-Step)
• Points classification leader: Louis Vervaeke (Soudal Quick-Step)
• Most active rider: Rodrigo Alvarez Rodriguez (Burgos Burpellet-BH)
• Best young rider: Valentin Paret Peintre
• Teams classification leader: Soudal Quick-Step

380.6 kilometers raced so far at an average speed of 41.351 km/hr

1	Louis Vervaeke	Soudal Quick-Step	9hr 12min 15sec
2	Valentin Paret-Peintre	Soudal Quick-Step	@ 6sec
3	Sean Flynn	Team Picnic PostNL	0:08
4	David Gaudu	Groupama-FDJ	0:11
5	Marco Brenner	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	0:12
6	Mathys Rondel	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
7	Adam Yates	UAE Team Emirates	s.t.
8	Diego Ulissi	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
9	Alessandro Fancellu	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
10	Lawrence Warbasse	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
11	David Delgado	Burgos Burpellet BH	s.t.
12	Felix Engelhardt	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
13	Warren Barguil	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
14	Wout Poels	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
15	Embret Svestad-Bårdseng	Arkea-B&B Hotels	s.t.
16	Ruben Guerreiro	Movistar Team	s.t.
17	Gianmarco Garofoli	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
18	Anthon Charmig	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
19	Damien Howson	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
20	Carlos Garcia	Burgos Burpellet BH	s.t.
21	Kevin Vermaerke	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
22	Steff Cras	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
23	Chris Harper	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
24	Cian Uijtdebroeks	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
25	Clément Braz Afonso	Groupama-FDJ	s.t.
26	Mauri Vansevenant	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
27	Simon Dalby	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
28	Mathias Bregnhøj	Terengganu Cycling Team	s.t.
29	Davide De Pretto	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
30	Nahom Zeray	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
31	David de la Cruz	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
32	Mario Aparicio	Burgos Burpellet BH	s.t.
33	Matteo Badilatti	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
34	Henok Mulubrhan	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
35	Nicolo Garibbo	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
36	Rafal Majka	UAE Team Emirates	s.t.
37	José Luis Faura	Burgos Burpellet BH	s.t.
38	Anatolii Budiak	Terengganu Cycling Team	s.t.
39	Elie Gesbert	Arkea-B&B Hotels	s.t.
40	Tom Donnenwirth	Groupama-FDJ	s.t.
41	Xabier Azparren	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	0:28
42	Adne van Engelen	Terengganu Cycling Team	0:38
43	Iván García Cortina	Movistar Team	0:40
44	Pietro Mattio	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
45	Marc Cabedo Hernandez	JCL Team Ukyo	0:53
46	Jenthe Biermans	Arkea-B&B Hotels	1:34
47	Steven Kruijswijk	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	1:42
48	Sakarias Koller Løland	Uno-X Mobility	1:49
49	Magnus Kulset	Uno-X Mobility	2:05
50	Amaury Capiot	Arkea-B&B Hotels	2:19
51	Rudy Molard	Groupama-FDJ	2:36
52	Henrik Pedersen	Uno-X Mobility	2:38
53	Dylan Hopkins	Roojai Insurance	2:40
54	Lorenzo Germani	Groupama-FDJ	2:55
55	Lucas Eriksson	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
56	Rayan Boulahoite	Team TotalEnergies	3:33
57	Max Kanter	XDS Astana Team	3:50
58	Marcel Camprubí	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
59	Niklas Behrens	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
60	Robbe Dhondt	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
61	Antonio Pedrero	Movistar Team	s.t.
62	Davide Toneatti	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
63	Nariyuki Masuda	JCL Team Ukyo	4:39
64	Rick Pluimers	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	4:48
65	Pepijn Reinderink	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
66	Enzo Paleni	Groupama-FDJ	4:59
67	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	5:43
68	Giacomo Nizzolo	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	5:49
69	Jay Vine	UAE Team Emirates	s.t.
70	Metkel Eyob	Terengganu Cycling Team	s.t.
71	Emilien Jeannière	Team TotalEnergies	7:50
72	Michel Ries	Arkea-B&B Hotels	s.t.
73	Alan Jousseaume	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
74	Rodrigo Álvarez	Burgos Burpellet BH	8:47
75	Valentin Madouas	Groupama-FDJ	8:58
76	Jordi Warlop	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
77	Florian Vermeersch	UAE Team Emirates	9:47
78	Orluis Aular	Movistar Team	s.t.
79	Lorrenzo Manzin	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
80	Fabian Weiss	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
81	Asbjørn Hellemose	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
82	Welay Berhe	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
83	Vegard Stake Laengen	UAE Team Emirates	s.t.
84	Jean-Loup Fayolle	Arkea-B&B Hotels	10:36
85	Pavel Bittner	Team Picnic PostNL	10:38
86	Paul Double	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
87	Geoffrey Soupe	Team TotalEnergies	10:40
88	Stian Fredheim	Uno-X Mobility	10:44
89	Timo Roosen	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
90	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	11:03
91	Georgios Boúglas	Burgos Burpellet BH	13:36
92	Nicolas Vinokurov	XDS Astana Team	13:38
93	Luca Giaimi	UAE Team Emirates	13:45
94	Kane Richards	Roojai Insurance	13:48
95	Olav Kooij	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	15:07
96	Erlend Blikra	Uno-X Mobility	15:13
97	Anthony Turgis	Team TotalEnergies	15:17
98	Fernando Gaviria	Movistar Team	s.t.
99	Andrea D'Amato	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
100	Blake Quick	Roojai Insurance	s.t.
101	Léandre Lozouet	Arkea-B&B Hotels	s.t.
102	Daniel McLay	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
103	Andreas Miltiadis	Roojai Insurance	s.t.
104	Manabu Ishibashi	JCL Team Ukyo	s.t.
105	Davide Cimolai	Movistar Team	16:13
106	Rasmus Bøgh Wallin	Uno-X Mobility	17:48
107	Carter Bettles	Roojai Insurance	19:24
108	Patompob Phonarjthan	Roojai Insurance	22:00
109	Fakhruddin Mazuki	Terengganu Cycling Team	s.t.
110	Kongphob Thimachai	Roojai Insurance	s.t.
111	Abdulrahman Alyaqoobi	Oman National Team	s.t.
112	Muhammad Haizam Mohd Shabri	Terengganu Cycling Team	s.t.
113	Tomoya Koyama	Burgos Burpellet BH	s.t.
114	Mazin Al Riyami	Oman National Team	s.t.
115	Luc Wirtgen	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
116	Said Alrahbi	Oman National Team	s.t.
117	Mohammed Al-Wahibi	Oman National Team	26:38

 

Stage 2 map & profile:

Stage 2 map

Stage 2 profile

---

Saturday, February 8: Stage 1, Bushar - Bimmah Sink Hole, 177.7 km

Stage 1 map & profile

Olav Kooij wins the first stage.

Plato's dialogue Apology is available in both Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Weather at Bimmah, on the route, near the finish, at 8:45 AM, local time: 24C (76F), sunny, with the wind from the southeast at 3 km/hr (2 mph). No rain is forecast. The temperature is expected to climb to 26C (78F) by noon.

Climb:

• Km 13.3: Climb of Jabal Road (Bousher Al Amerat), 3.5 km @ 9.2%

The race: Here's the organiser's stage one report.

Decked in their black-and-yellow livery, the Visma–Lease a Bike armada went at full sail to put their captain, Olav Kooij, on a boarding plank to victory on the boulevard hugging the coast of the Sea of Oman. Not one to disappoint his crewmates, the 23-year-old Dutchman snatched the booty at Bimmah Sink Hole, outfencing Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL) and Erlend Blikra (Uno-X Mobility) in a bunch sprint to claim the opening stage of the fourteenth Tour of Oman and pull on the inaugural red jersey.

The 2024 Giro d'Italia stage winner lived up to his status as the man to beat on Saturday. This is his first triumph of the season, his maiden win in Oman —where he is racing for the first time— and his 37th career victory. Five men broke away as soon as the flag dropped and added some excitement to the 177.7-kilometre opener. The blistering sun and the mostly unfavourable winds prevented their advantage from increasing much beyond five minutes. The last two survivors of the breakaway, Rodrigo Álvarez (Burgos Burpellet BH) and the leader of the combativity standings, Kane Richards (Roojai Insurance) were caught with 25 kilometres to go, not long after David Gaudu (Groupama–FDJ) took third place and a bonus second at the second intermediate sprint.  

Five on a bike together 
A 120-strong peloton started the fourteenth Tour of Oman, with Jørgen Nordhagen (Visma–Lease a Bike) and Harm Vanhoucke (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) on the DNS list. The flag went down at 11:42 am under the harsh sun shining on Bushar, on the outskirts of Muscat. Race number 1 Adam Yates and his UAE Team Emirates XRG outfit showed their determination to defend the title, with one of their riders jumping out of the peloton from the get-go. It was all for naught, however, as a different five-man group opened up a gap in the first kilometre. 

The peloton races across Oman.

Álvarez and Al-Wahibi divvy up the points 
Mohammed Al-Wahibi and Said Al-Rahbi, competing for the Omani national team, hit the front with Rodrigo Álvarez (Burgos Burpellet BH), Kane Richards (Roojai Insurance) and Mohamad Mohd Zariff (Terengganu), who had already featured in the early breakaway of the Muscat Classic yesterday. Their margin quickly grew to three minutes by the time that the peloton got to grips with Jabal Road (3.5 km at 9.2%), the only categorised climb of the day, with 167 kilometres to go. Zariff and Al-Rahbi were dropped a kilometre from the top, leaving Al-Wahibi, Richards and Álvarez to crown the ascent in this same order. The Spaniard got his own back 13 kilometres down the road by taking the first intermediate sprint at Al Amerat. 

Kooij hoists the colours 
Zariff and Al-Rahbi managed to get back to the front 151 kilometres from the line, with the peloton five minutes back at that point. Rising tensions or, perhaps, the light breeze sweeping through the valley spurred the peloton into action, cutting the gap to 3′35″ with 140 kilometres to go. It was all hands on deck for Olav Kooij's Visma–Lease a Bike squad. The Dutch sprinter relished his status as the hot favourite to win a bunch sprint. Even so, the difference stabilised for a short while, as if the riders were taking the time to admire the landscape replete with what looked like giant molehills, with dark or reddish rocks criss-crossed by striations pointing towards the sky.

A game of cat and mouse 
Zariff gave up with 126 kilometres to go, first sinking back into the peloton and then abandoning the race altogether. Kooij's men brought the deficit below the two-minute mark 100 kilometres from the line, only to ease up for a bit and keep the escapees dangling in front for a bit longer. The gap rose to 3′35″ and then fell back to 1′10″ as the peloton got its first glimpse of the finish line. It was a desert mirage, though: there were still 41 kilometres left, half of which would take place on a wide road before doubling back and finally setting course for the finish at Bimmah Sink Hole on a charming coastal road. 

Gaudu bags a bonus second and Kooij storms to victory 
The rock star of the breakaway, Kane Richards, stepped up the pace with 37 kilometres to go, leaving everyone but Álvarez in the dust. The Australian and the Spaniard fought gallantly, but they were reeled in with 25 kilometres to go, shorty after Richards took the intermediate sprint. The Groupama–FDJ train propelled David Gaudu to third place, which came with a one-second time bonus. From there on, it was gruppo compatto all the way to the finish, with Olav Kooij prevailing in the mad dash to the line to clinch the stage win and seize the first leader's jersey of the fourteenth Tour of Oman.

Complete results:

177.7 kilometers raced at an average speed of 39.885 km/hr

1	OLAV KOOIJ	TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE	4hr 27min 19sec
2	PAVEL BITTNER	TEAM PICNIC POSTNL	s.t.
3	ERLEND BLIKRA	UNO-X MOBILITY	s.t.
4	ANDREA D'AMATO	JCL TEAM UKYO	s.t.
5	RICK PLUIMERS	TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
6	FERNANDO GAVIRIA	MOVISTAR TEAM	s.t.
7	ANTHONY TURGIS	TOTALENERGIES	s.t.
8	EMILIEN JEANNIERE	TOTALENERGIES	s.t.
9	LUCA GIAIMI	UAE TEAM EMIRATES-XRG	s.t.
10	GIACOMO NIZZOLO	Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
11	MAX KANTER	XDS ASTANA TEAM	s.t.
12	GEORGIOS BOUGLAS	BURGOS BURPELLET-BH	s.t.
13	AMAURY CAPIOT	ARKEA-B&B HOTELS	s.t.
14	FLORIAN VERMEERSCH	UAE TEAM EMIRATES-XRG	s.t.
15	RODRIGO ALVAREZ RODRIGUEZ	BURGOS BURPELLET-BH	s.t.
16	BLAKE QUICK	ROOJAI INSURANCE	s.t.
17	JENTHE BIERMANS	ARKEA-B&B HOTELS	s.t.
18	ETHAN EDWARD HAYTER	SOUDAL QUICK-STEP	s.t.
19	LÉANDRE LOZOUET	ARKEA-B&B HOTELS	s.t.
20	RUBEN GUERREIRO	MOVISTAR TEAM	s.t.
21	MARCO BRENNER	TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
22	ENZO PALENI	GROUPAMA-FDJ	s.t.
23	NARIYUKI MASUDA	JCL TEAM UKYO	s.t.
24	SEAN FLYNN	TEAM PICNIC POSTNL	s.t.
25	ORLUIS ALBERTO AULAR SANABRIA	MOVISTAR TEAM	s.t.
26	MATHYS RONDEL	TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
27	DANIEL Mclay	TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE	s.t.
28	KEVIN VERMAERKE	TEAM PICNIC POSTNL	s.t.
29	GIANMARCO GAROFOLI	SOUDAL QUICK-STEP	s.t.
30	DIEGO ULISSI	XDS ASTANA TEAM	s.t.
31	ADAM YATES	UAE TEAM EMIRATES-XRG	s.t.
32	DAVID DELGADO HIGUERUELO	BURGOS BURPELLET-BH	s.t.
33	LAWRENCE WARBASSE	TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
34	LORRENZO MANZIN	TOTALENERGIES	s.t.
35	STIAN EDVARDSEN-FREDHEIM	UNO-X MOBILITY	s.t.
36	ALESSANDRO FANCELLU	JCL TEAM UKYO	s.t.
37	VALENTIN PARET PEINTRE	SOUDAL QUICK-STEP	s.t.
38	EMBRET SVESTAD-BÅRDSENG	ARKEA-B&B HOTELS	s.t.
39	PATOMPOB PHONARJTHAN	ROOJAI INSURANCE	s.t.
40	MUNDHER AL-HSANI	OMAN NATIONAL TEAM	s.t.
41	WARREN BARGUIL	TEAM PICNIC POSTNL	s.t.
42	ANTHON CHARMIG	XDS ASTANA TEAM	s.t.
43	WOUT POELS	XDS ASTANA TEAM	s.t.
44	JAY VINE	UAE TEAM EMIRATES-XRG	s.t.
45	XABIER AZPARREN IRURZUN	Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
46	NUR AMIRULL FAKHRUDDIN MAZUKI	TERENGGANU CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
47	FABIAN WEISS	TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
48	CLÉMENT BRAZ AFONSO	GROUPAMA-FDJ	s.t.
49	CHRIS HARPER	TEAM JAYCO ALULA	s.t.
50	KONGPHOB THIMACHAI	ROOJAI INSURANCE	s.t.
51	ASBJØRN HELLEMOSE	TEAM JAYCO ALULA	s.t.
52	DAVID GAUDU	GROUPAMA-FDJ	s.t.
53	FELIX ENGELHARDT	TEAM JAYCO ALULA	s.t.
54	CARLOS GARCIA PIERNA	BURGOS BURPELLET-BH	s.t.
55	NICOLÒ GARIBBO	JCL TEAM UKYO	s.t.
56	MAURI VANSEVENANT	SOUDAL QUICK-STEP	s.t.
57	DAVIDE DE PRETTO	TEAM JAYCO ALULA	s.t.
58	IVAN GARCIA CORTINA	MOVISTAR TEAM	s.t.
59	DAMIEN CRAIG HOWSON	Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
60	DAVID DE LA CRUZ	Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
61	LORENZO GERMANI	GROUPAMA-FDJ	s.t.
62	NICOLYA VINOKUROV	XDS ASTANA TEAM	s.t.
63	ZERAY NAHOM ARAYA	JCL TEAM UKYO	s.t.
64	SIMON DALBY	UNO-X MOBILITY	s.t.
65	MARCEL CAMPRUBI PIJUAN	Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
66	MATHIAS BREGNHØJ	TERENGGANU CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
67	MAGNUS KULSET	UNO-X MOBILITY	s.t.
68	CIAN UIJTDEBROEKS	TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE	s.t.
69	WELAY BERHE	TEAM JAYCO ALULA	s.t.
70	STEFF CRAS	TOTALENERGIES	s.t.
71	ABDULREHMAN AL YAAQUBI	OMAN NATIONAL TEAM	s.t.
72	MARC CABEDO HERNANDEZ	JCL TEAM UKYO	s.t.
73	VEGARD STAKE LAENGEN	UAE TEAM EMIRATES-XRG	s.t.
74	LUCAS ERIKSSON	TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
75	METKEL EYOB	TERENGGANU CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
76	PAUL DOUBLE	TEAM JAYCO ALULA	s.t.
77	MARIO APARICIO MUÑOZ	BURGOS BURPELLET-BH	s.t.
78	LOUIS VERVAEKE	SOUDAL QUICK-STEP	s.t.
79	JOSE LUIS FAURA ASENSIO	BURGOS BURPELLET-BH	s.t.
80	MICHEL RIES	ARKEA-B&B HOTELS	s.t.
81	VALENTIN MADOUAS	GROUPAMA-FDJ	s.t.
82	MATTEO BADILATTI	Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
83	STEVEN KRUIJSWIJK	TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE	s.t.
84	TOM DONNENWIRTH	GROUPAMA-FDJ	s.t.
85	ANATOLII BUDIAK	TERENGGANU CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
86	ALAN JOUSSEAUME	TOTALENERGIES	s.t.
87	RAFAL MAJKA	UAE TEAM EMIRATES-XRG	s.t.
88	RUDY MOLARD	GROUPAMA-FDJ	s.t.
89	MUHAMMAD HAIZAM MOHD SHABRI	TERENGGANU CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
90	JEAN LOUP FAYOLLE	ARKEA-B&B HOTELS	s.t.
91	ANŽE RAVBAR	UAE TEAM EMIRATES-XRG	s.t.
92	TOMOYA KOYAMA	BURGOS BURPELLET-BH	s.t.
93	MAZIN AL RIYAMI	OMAN NATIONAL TEAM	s.t.
94	HENOK MULUEBERHAN	XDS ASTANA TEAM	s.t.
95	PIETRO MATTIO	TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE	s.t.
96	ANDREAS MILTIADIS	ROOJAI INSURANCE	s.t.
97	ELIE GESBERT	ARKEA-B&B HOTELS	s.t.
98	TIMO ROOSEN	TEAM PICNIC POSTNL	s.t.
99	ADNE VAN ENGELEN	TERENGGANU CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
100	MANABU ISHIBASHI	JCL TEAM UKYO	s.t.
101	NIKLAS BEHRENS	TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE	s.t.
102	SAID AL RAHBI	OMAN NATIONAL TEAM	s.t.
103	JORDI WARLOP	SOUDAL QUICK-STEP	s.t.
104	ANTONIO PEDRERO	MOVISTAR TEAM	s.t.
105	ROBBE DHONT	TEAM PICNIC POSTNL	s.t.
106	LUC WIRTGEN	TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
107	DYLAN HOPKINS	ROOJAI INSURANCE	s.t.
108	PEPIJN REINDERINK	SOUDAL QUICK-STEP	s.t.
109	BREINER HENRIK PEDERSEN	UNO-X MOBILITY	s.t.
110	TIM NABERMAN	TEAM PICNIC POSTNL	@ 19sec
111	GEOFFREY SOUPE	TOTALENERGIES	0' 53''
112	RAYAN BOULAHOITE	TOTALENERGIES	0' 53''
113	SAKARIAS KOLLER LØLAND	UNO-X MOBILITY	0' 56''
114	DAVIDE CIMOLAI	MOVISTAR TEAM	0' 56''
115	RASMUS BØGH WALLIN	UNO-X MOBILITY	2' 31''
116	DAVIDE TONEATTI	XDS ASTANA TEAM	@ 0sec
117	KANE RICHARDS	ROOJAI INSURANCE	4' 07''
118	CARTER BETTLES	ROOJAI INSURANCE	4' 07''
119	MOHAMED AL-WAHIBI	OMAN NATIONAL TEAM	4' 40''

 

GC after stage 1:

• GC leader: Olav Kooij (Visma | Lease a Bike)
• Points classification leader: Olav Kooij (Visma | Lease a Bike)
• Most active rider: Kane Richards (Roojai Insurance)
• Best young rider: Olav Kooij (Visma | Lease a Bike)
• Teams classification leader: Team TotalEnergies

1	OLAV KOOIJ	TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE	4hr 27min 9sec
2	PAVEL BITTNER	TEAM PICNIC POSTNL	@ 4sec
3	RODRIGO ALVAREZ RODRIGUEZ	BURGOS BURPELLET-BH	0' 05''
4	ERLEND BLIKRA	UNO-X MOBILITY	0' 06''
5	DAVID GAUDU	GROUPAMA-FDJ	0' 09''
6	ANDREA D'AMATO	JCL TEAM UKYO	0' 10''
7	RICK PLUIMERS	TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
8	FERNANDO GAVIRIA	MOVISTAR TEAM	s.t.
9	ANTHONY TURGIS	TOTALENERGIES	s.t.
10	EMILIEN JEANNIERE	TOTALENERGIES	s.t.
11	LUCA GIAIMI	UAE TEAM EMIRATES-XRG	s.t.
12	GIACOMO NIZZOLO	Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
13	MAX KANTER	XDS ASTANA TEAM	s.t.
14	GEORGIOS BOUGLAS	BURGOS BURPELLET-BH	s.t.
15	AMAURY CAPIOT	ARKEA-B&B HOTELS	s.t.
16	FLORIAN VERMEERSCH	UAE TEAM EMIRATES-XRG	s.t.
17	BLAKE QUICK	ROOJAI INSURANCE	s.t.
18	JENTHE BIERMANS	ARKEA-B&B HOTELS	s.t.
19	ETHAN EDWARD HAYTER	SOUDAL QUICK-STEP	s.t.
20	LÉANDRE LOZOUET	ARKEA-B&B HOTELS	s.t.
21	RUBEN GUERREIRO	MOVISTAR TEAM	s.t.
22	MARCO BRENNER	TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
23	ENZO PALENI	GROUPAMA-FDJ	s.t.
24	NARIYUKI MASUDA	JCL TEAM UKYO	s.t.
25	SEAN FLYNN	TEAM PICNIC POSTNL	s.t.
26	ORLUIS ALBERTO AULAR SANABRIA	MOVISTAR TEAM	s.t.
27	MATHYS RONDEL	TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
28	DANIEL Mclay	TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE	s.t.
29	KEVIN VERMAERKE	TEAM PICNIC POSTNL	s.t.
30	GIANMARCO GAROFOLI	SOUDAL QUICK-STEP	s.t.
31	DIEGO ULISSI	XDS ASTANA TEAM	s.t.
32	ADAM YATES	UAE TEAM EMIRATES-XRG	s.t.
33	DAVID DELGADO HIGUERUELO	BURGOS BURPELLET-BH	s.t.
34	LAWRENCE WARBASSE	TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
35	LORRENZO MANZIN	TOTALENERGIES	s.t.
36	STIAN EDVARDSEN-FREDHEIM	UNO-X MOBILITY	s.t.
37	ALESSANDRO FANCELLU	JCL TEAM UKYO	s.t.
38	VALENTIN PARET PEINTRE	SOUDAL QUICK-STEP	s.t.
39	EMBRET SVESTAD-BÅRDSENG	ARKEA-B&B HOTELS	s.t.
40	PATOMPOB PHONARJTHAN	ROOJAI INSURANCE	s.t.
41	MUNDHER AL-HSANI	OMAN NATIONAL TEAM	s.t.
42	WARREN BARGUIL	TEAM PICNIC POSTNL	s.t.
43	ANTHON CHARMIG	XDS ASTANA TEAM	s.t.
44	WOUT POELS	XDS ASTANA TEAM	s.t.
45	JAY VINE	UAE TEAM EMIRATES-XRG	s.t.
46	XABIER AZPARREN IRURZUN	Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
47	NUR AMIRULL FAKHRUDDIN MAZUKI	TERENGGANU CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
48	FABIAN WEISS	TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
49	CLÉMENT BRAZ AFONSO	GROUPAMA-FDJ	s.t.
50	CHRIS HARPER	TEAM JAYCO ALULA	s.t.
51	KONGPHOB THIMACHAI	ROOJAI INSURANCE	s.t.
52	ASBJØRN HELLEMOSE	TEAM JAYCO ALULA	s.t.
53	FELIX ENGELHARDT	TEAM JAYCO ALULA	s.t.
54	CARLOS GARCIA PIERNA	BURGOS BURPELLET-BH	s.t.
55	NICOLÒ GARIBBO	JCL TEAM UKYO	s.t.
56	MAURI VANSEVENANT	SOUDAL QUICK-STEP	s.t.
57	DAVIDE DE PRETTO	TEAM JAYCO ALULA	s.t.
58	IVAN GARCIA CORTINA	MOVISTAR TEAM	s.t.
59	DAMIEN CRAIG HOWSON	Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
60	DAVID DE LA CRUZ	Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
61	LORENZO GERMANI	GROUPAMA-FDJ	s.t.
62	NICOLYA VINOKUROV	XDS ASTANA TEAM	s.t.
63	ZERAY NAHOM ARAYA	JCL TEAM UKYO	s.t.
64	SIMON DALBY	UNO-X MOBILITY	s.t.
65	MARCEL CAMPRUBI PIJUAN	Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
66	MATHIAS BREGNHØJ	TERENGGANU CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
67	MAGNUS KULSET	UNO-X MOBILITY	s.t.
68	CIAN UIJTDEBROEKS	TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE	s.t.
69	WELAY BERHE	TEAM JAYCO ALULA	s.t.
70	STEFF CRAS	TOTALENERGIES	s.t.
71	ABDULREHMAN AL YAAQUBI	OMAN NATIONAL TEAM	s.t.
72	MARC CABEDO HERNANDEZ	JCL TEAM UKYO	s.t.
73	VEGARD STAKE LAENGEN	UAE TEAM EMIRATES-XRG	s.t.
74	LUCAS ERIKSSON	TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
75	METKEL EYOB	TERENGGANU CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
76	PAUL DOUBLE	TEAM JAYCO ALULA	s.t.
77	MARIO APARICIO MUÑOZ	BURGOS BURPELLET-BH	s.t.
78	LOUIS VERVAEKE	SOUDAL QUICK-STEP	s.t.
79	JOSE LUIS FAURA ASENSIO	BURGOS BURPELLET-BH	s.t.
80	MICHEL RIES	ARKEA-B&B HOTELS	s.t.
81	VALENTIN MADOUAS	GROUPAMA-FDJ	s.t.
82	MATTEO BADILATTI	Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
83	STEVEN KRUIJSWIJK	TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE	s.t.
84	TOM DONNENWIRTH	GROUPAMA-FDJ	s.t.
85	ANATOLII BUDIAK	TERENGGANU CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
86	ALAN JOUSSEAUME	TOTALENERGIES	s.t.
87	RAFAL MAJKA	UAE TEAM EMIRATES-XRG	s.t.
88	RUDY MOLARD	GROUPAMA-FDJ	s.t.
89	MUHAMMAD HAIZAM MOHD SHABRI	TERENGGANU CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
90	JEAN LOUP FAYOLLE	ARKEA-B&B HOTELS	s.t.
91	ANŽE RAVBAR	UAE TEAM EMIRATES-XRG	s.t.
92	TOMOYA KOYAMA	BURGOS BURPELLET-BH	s.t.
93	MAZIN AL RIYAMI	OMAN NATIONAL TEAM	s.t.
94	HENOK MULUEBERHAN	XDS ASTANA TEAM	s.t.
95	PIETRO MATTIO	TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE	s.t.
96	ANDREAS MILTIADIS	ROOJAI INSURANCE	s.t.
97	ELIE GESBERT	ARKEA-B&B HOTELS	s.t.
98	TIMO ROOSEN	TEAM PICNIC POSTNL	s.t.
99	ADNE VAN ENGELEN	TERENGGANU CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
100	MANABU ISHIBASHI	JCL TEAM UKYO	s.t.
101	NIKLAS BEHRENS	TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE	s.t.
102	SAID AL RAHBI	OMAN NATIONAL TEAM	s.t.
103	JORDI WARLOP	SOUDAL QUICK-STEP	s.t.
104	ANTONIO PEDRERO	MOVISTAR TEAM	s.t.
105	ROBBE DHONT	TEAM PICNIC POSTNL	s.t.
106	LUC WIRTGEN	TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM	s.t.
107	DYLAN HOPKINS	ROOJAI INSURANCE	s.t.
108	PEPIJN REINDERINK	SOUDAL QUICK-STEP	s.t.
109	BREINER HENRIK PEDERSEN	UNO-X MOBILITY	s.t.
110	DAVIDE TONEATTI	XDS ASTANA TEAM	s.t.
111	TIM NABERMAN	TEAM PICNIC POSTNL	0' 29''
112	GEOFFREY SOUPE	TOTALENERGIES	1' 03''
113	RAYAN BOULAHOITE	TOTALENERGIES	1' 03''
114	SAKARIAS KOLLER LØLAND	UNO-X MOBILITY	1' 06''
115	DAVIDE CIMOLAI	MOVISTAR TEAM	1' 06''
116	RASMUS BØGH WALLIN	UNO-X MOBILITY	2' 41''
117	KANE RICHARDS	ROOJAI INSURANCE	4' 12''
118	CARTER BETTLES	ROOJAI INSURANCE	4' 17''
119	MOHAMED AL-WAHIBI	OMAN NATIONAL TEAM	4' 49''

Stage 1 map & profile:

Stage 1 map

Stage 1 profile

---

Start list with back numbers, February 7, 2025:

	UAE TEAM EMIRATES - XRG
1	ADAM YATES
2	LUCA GIAIMI
3	VEGARD STAKE LAENGEN
4	RAFAL MAJKA
5	ANŽE RAVBAR
6	FLORIAN VERMEERSCH
7	JAY VINE
	SOUDAL QUICK-STEP
11	MAURI VANSEVENANT
12	GIANMARCO GAROFOLI
13	ETHAN EDWARD HAYTER
14	VALENTIN PARET PEINTRE
15	PEPIJN REINDERINK
16	LOUIS VERVAEKE
17	JORDI WARLOP
	XDS ASTANA TEAM
21	DIEGO ULISSI
22	ANTHON CHARMIG
23	MAX KANTER
24	HENOK MULUEBERHAN
25	WOUT POELS
26	DAVIDE TONEATTI
27	NICOLYA VINOKUROV
	GROUPAMA-FDJ
31	DAVID GAUDU
32	CLÉMENT BRAZ AFONSO
33	TOM DONNENWIRTH
34	LORENZO GERMANI
35	VALENTIN MADOUAS
36	RUDY MOLARD
37	ENZO PALENI
	TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE
41	OLAV KOOIJ
42	NIKLAS BEHRENS
43	STEVEN KRUIJSWIJK
44	PIETRO MATTIO
45	DANIEL MCLAY
46	JØRGEN NORDHAGEN
47	CIAN UIJTDEBROEKS
	ARKEA-B&B HOTELS
51	JENTHE BIERMANS
52	AMAURY CAPIOT
53	JEAN LOUP FAYOLLE
54	ELIE GESBERT
55	LÉANDRE LOZOUET
56	MICHEL RIES
57	EMBRET SVESTAD-BÅRDSENG
	TEAM PICNIC POSTNL
61	WARREN BARGUIL
62	PAVEL BITTNER
63	ROBBE DHONT
64	SEAN FLYNN
65	TIM NABERMAN
66	TIMO ROOSEN
67	KEVIN VERMAERKE
	MOVISTAR TEAM
71	RUBEN GUERREIRO
72	ORLUIS ALBERTO AULAR SANABRIA
73	DAVIDE CIMOLAI
74	IVAN GARCIA CORTINA
75	FERNANDO GAVIRIA
76	ANTONIO PEDRERO
	TEAM JAYCO ALULA
81	CHRIS HARPER
82	WELAY BERHE
83	DAVIDE DE PRETTO
84	PAUL DOUBLE
85	FELIX ENGELHARDT
86	ASBJØRN HELLEMOSE
	TOTALENERGIES
91	ANTHONY TURGIS
92	RAYAN BOULAHOITE
93	STEFF CRAS
94	EMILIEN JEANNIERE
95	ALAN JOUSSEAUME
96	LORRENZO MANZIN
97	GEOFFREY SOUPE
	Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM
101	HARM VANHOUCKE
102	XABIER AZPARREN IRURZUN
103	MATTEO BADILATTI
104	MARCEL CAMPRUBI PIJUAN
105	DAVID DE LA CRUZ
106	DAMIEN CRAIG HOWSON
107	GIACOMO NIZZOLO
	TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM
111	MARCO BRENNER
112	LUCAS ERIKSSON
113	RICK PLUIMERS
114	MATHYS RONDEL
115	LAWRENCE WARBASSE
116	FABIAN WEISS
117	LUC WIRTGEN
	UNO-X MOBILITY
121	ERLEND BLIKRA
122	SIMON DALBY
123	STIAN EDVARDSEN-FREDHEIM
124	MAGNUS KULSET
125	SAKARIAS KOLLER LØLAND
126	BREINER HENRIK PEDERSEN
127	RASMUS BØGH WALLIN
	BURGOS BURPELLET - BH
131	MARIO APARICIO MUÑOZ
132	RODRIGO ALVAREZ RODRIGUEZ
133	GEORGIOS BOUGLAS
134	DAVID DELGADO HIGUERUELO
135	JOSE LUIS FAURA ASENSIO
136	CARLOS GARCIA PIERNA
137	TOMOYA KOYAMA
	TERENGGANU CYCLING TEAM
141	METKEL EYOB
142	MATHIAS BREGNHØJ
143	ANATOLII BUDIAK
144	NUR AMIRULL FAKHRUDDIN MAZUKI
145	MUHAMMAD HAIZAM MOHD SHABRI
146	MOHAMAD NUR AIMAN MOHD ZARIFF
147	ADNE VAN ENGELEN
	JCL TEAM UKYO
151	MARC CABEDO HERNANDEZ
152	ZERAY NAHOM ARAYA
153	ANDREA D'AMATO
154	ALESSANDRO FANCELLU
155	NICOLÒ GARIBBO
156	MANABU ISHIBASHI
157	NARIYUKI MASUDA
	ROOJAI INSURANCE
161	BLAKE QUICK
162	CARTER BETTLES
163	DYLAN HOPKINS
164	ANDREAS MILTIADIS
165	PATOMPOB PHONARJTHAN
166	KANE RICHARDS
167	KONGPHOB THIMACHAI
	OMAN NATIONAL TEAM
171	MOHAMED AL-WAHIBI
172	MUNDHER AL-HSANI
173	SAID AL RAHBI
174	MAZIN AL RIYAMI
175	ABDULREHMAN AL YAAQUBI