The 19-year-old Frenchman wasn’t too far from a top-three finish on Saturday.
A new edition of the Tour of Oman, another event our team has made a lasting impression in the last decade, got underway with a flat stage that took the peloton to Muscat, the country’s capital. Five men formed a breakaway soon after the start, but they weren’t a match for the bunch, who erased without any problems the three-minute gap before the final ten kilometers.
Given that it was the biggest opportunity of the week for the fast men here in Oman, it came as no surprise that things became hectic in the final kilometer, when moving through the field became much harder despite the wide roads. Even in these conditions, Luke Lamperti found an opening and this was enough for fellow neo-pro Paul Magnier to show again his speed, taking a solid top five behind Caleb Ewan (Jayco-Alula), who got the victory Saturday afternoon.
The race continues with a hilly stage that promises to change the leader of the general classification, as a sharp uphill finish and ten precious bonus seconds await the peloton in Qurayyat.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
Paul Magnier 
