photo credits @ ToO
Caleb Ewan was the fastest in the mass sprint at the end of stage 1 of the Tour of Oman 2024, where he took his first victory since his return to Jayco AlUla. On a slightly rising final straight, the Australian ‘Pocket Rocket’ got the better of Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) and Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility) in what could very well be the only opportunity for the sprinters this week in the Sultanate.
The sun illuminated the Oman Across the Ages Museum as the peloton set off towards Muscat for stage 2 of the Tour of Oman 2024. Attacks fly from the start and, after a few attempts, five riders get away from the bunch: Oscar Pelegri (Burgos-BH), Nur Amirull Fakhruddin Mazuki (Terengganu Cycling Team), Mohamed Al-Wahibi, Faisal Al-Mamari (Oman National Team) and Polychronis Tzortzakis (Roojai Insurance).
Sprint teams control the day
Fabio Jakobsen’s DSM-Firmenich PostNL and Caleb Ewan’s Team Jayco AlUla quickly moved to the front of the bunch to control the day (maximum gap: 3’15’’ at km 36), meanwhile Al-Wahibi suffered a mechanical that forced him back to the bunch after 40 kilometers of racing.
UAE Team Emirates also participated in the chase on the day after Finn Fisher-Black’s success in the Muscat Classic, while the gap dropped down to under 2 minutes as the riders entered the final 70 kilometers of the stage.
After he claimed the first intermediate sprint ahead of Tzortzakis, Pelegri was beaten by the Greek rider in the second one (63.9km to go), before the Spaniard dropped back to the bunch. Their ranking in the overall standings will be the decider as to who takes the gold jersey as leader of the combativity ranking.
Ewan surges
As the peloton was closing in on the lead trio – 20’’ with 20km to go, Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility) was dropped from the bunch due to a mechanical. But the Norwegian expert of the Tour of Oman (9 victories in previous editions) quickly returns.
The attackers are eventually caught by the peloton with 12 kilometers to go, triggering a huge battle for the front, with virtually every team trying to position their sprinters and leaders. However, Jayco AlUla’s Max Walscheid managed to launch Ewan to victory ahead of Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) and Kristoff.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
