A quiet stage and no gaps between the overall standings contenders.
The 15th edition of the Tour of Oman got underway Saturday morning, with a 170.9km stage between the Ministry of Tourism and Bimmah Sink Hole. Despite the presence of a steep climb in the first part, followed by some undulating roads for more than 100 kilometers, the day was expected to come down to a mass gallop, as the last half of the race didn’t feature any difficulties.
After a few skirmishes, three men jumped away and formed a breakaway who was kept on a tight leash by the peloton. Gradually, their three-minute maximum gap came down and they were caught with more than ten kilometers to go. On the finishing straight, there wasn’t a team to control things, making for a chaotic bunch sprint, won by Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates).
Warre Vangheluwe, who is racing in Oman for the first time in his career, was Soudal Quick-Step’s first rider home on this first stage. On Sunday, the peloton will return to the Yitti Hills, where the many small climbs – some featuring steep gradients – stacked in the last 40 kilometers promise to reshuffle the general classification.
Photo credit: ©Szymon Gruchalski / Getty Images
