Three of the team’s new riders will make their debut for the Wolfpack in just a couple of days.
Our week in Oman will begin on Friday at the third edition of the Muscat Classic, a hilly one-day race between Al Mouj and Al Bustan, whose final part contains four hard climbs that the attackers can use as trampoline to victory: Bousher Al Amerat (3.4km, 8.8%), Wadi Al Kadir (2.1km, 7.3%), Al Hamriyah (800m, 9.8%) and Al Jissah (1.4km, 9%).
One day later, the 14th edition of the Tour of Oman will get underway with a flat stage finishing in the east of the Sultanate, at Bimmah Sink Hole, where the wind-exposed roads on the shores of the Sea of Oman could disrupt the sprint trains and ruin the fast men’s shot at victory. The Yitti Hills are sure to bring changes to the general classification, where the gaps between the contenders should widen even more on the gruelling slopes of the Eastern Mountain, featuring at the end of stage 3.
The penultimate day of the race comes with another opportunity for the sprinters, on the 700m uphill finish near the Oman Convention and Exhibition Center, before the traditional mountain stage on Jabal Al Akhdar, also known as the Green Mountain, whose double-digit gradients will be decisive in the fight for the red jersey.
Gianmarco Garofoli, British Champion Ethan Hayter and Valentin Paret-Peintre are all set to make their debut for the team at the two races in Oman, where they will be joined by Pepijn Reinderink, Mauri Vansevenant – who was runner-up on the general classification there in 2023 – Louis Vervaeke and Jordi Warlop.
“We have a good team for Oman, featuring three new guys – Ethan, Gianmarco and Valentin – and we can’t wait to see them in action. Our goal is to take a victory, there will be a couple of opportunities, so we are confident. Concerning the GC, Mauri came close to winning the whole thing a few years ago, when he finished first atop the Green Mountain, and we’ll see if he can be again up there in the fight for a strong result”, said Soudal Quick-Step sports director Wilfried Peeters.
Photo credit: ©Wout Beel