photo credits @ ToO
Christian Scaroni of XDS Astana Team delivered a commanding performance to win the fifth and final stage of the Tour of Oman today, sealing the overall victory in a dramatic finale that took place at Birkat Al Mouz in Al Dakhiliyah Governorate.
Scaroni completed the decisive Green Mountain stage in 3 hours, 23 minutes and 19 seconds, mastering the demanding uphill finish to secure both the stage win and the overall general classification title, while his teammate Christian Rodriguez of Spain finished second with a marginal time gap, while Luke Plapp of Jayco AlUla claimed third place.
Speaking after the race, Scaroni expressed his satisfaction with the performance. “My performance today made everything come together in the best way. The team did incredible work throughout all the stages. I am very happy. Overall, the Tour was perfect as the organisation was excellent, and I would be delighted to come back again,” he added.
Scaroni’s victory in the final stage confirmed him as the overall champion of the 2026 Tour of Oman. The closing ceremony was held under the patronage of His Highness Sayyid Faris bin Fatik Al Said. The Tour of Oman was organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, in cooperation with the Oman Cycling Association and several government and private sector partners.
In the final general standings, Christian Scaroni claimed both the Red Jersey (overall leader) and the Green Jersey (points classification). Poland’s Patryk Goszczurny secured the Golden Jersey as the most aggressive rider. Fernando Pescador Castro of Movistar Team won the White Jersey as Best Young Rider. XDS Astana Team was crowned Best Team Overall of the Tour.
The 2026 edition delivered five days of high-level international competition across Oman’s diverse landscapes, from coastal routes to challenging mountain climbs. The concluding stage began at the foot of the historic Nizwa Fort, the iconic 17th-century landmark, setting a majestic backdrop for the finale. The stage rolled out with 110 riders at the start. An ultra-fast pace in the opening kilometers neutralized early breakaway attempts, before a leading group formed at kilometer 16, including Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Emirates XRG), Thibaud Gruel (Groupama-FDJ United), Florian Dauphin (TotalEnergies), Erlend Blikra and Fredrik Dversnes (Uno-X Mobility), and Baptiste Veistroffer (Lotto–Intermarché).
As the race approached the decisive climb toward Green Mountain, the general classification contenders asserted control, with Scaroni delivering a decisive acceleration on the final ascent to secure both stage and overall honors.
Race Highlights
An ultra-fast pace in the opening kilometers shut down the first attacks, but a group gradually formed at km 16 featuring Molano, Gruel, Dauphin, Erlend Blikra, Dversnes and Veistroffer.
However, the escapees never gained more than 25 seconds and were reeled in by the peloton at km 32. From there, a new breakaway took shape between km 39 and km 44, with five riders going clear: Price-Pejtersen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Albanese (EF Education-EasyPost), Dauphin, Dversnes and Hvideberg (Uno-X Mobility), later opening up a modest advantage of 55 seconds as they passed through the Al Hilayw intermediate sprint.
UAE Emirates XRG and Soudal-Quick Step Control the Break
The five leaders extended their gap to 1’30” at km 50, which grew to 2’15” by km 70. However, the teams of defending champion Adam Yates and Valentin Paret-Peintre—last year’s Green Mountain stage winner—kept the margin under control, limiting it to 2’50” at km 100. Their determination allowed them to enter the final 20 kilometers with a 2’05” lead, but the sustained pressure left them little hope.
At the foot of the final climb, Price-Pejtersen was the first to lose contact, while the peloton trailed the four remaining escapees by just 1’45”.
An Astana One-Two
The breakaway’s fate was sealed on the slopes of Green Mountain. With 3 km to go, Dversnes—the last survivor—was caught by a reduced elite group of around twenty riders, though without Valentin Paret-Peintre, who had been dropped 500 meters earlier. Yates and then Nairo Quintana took turns raising the pace, further thinning the contenders, while red jersey Mauro Schmidwas also distanced.
Under the flamme rouge, only Scaroni, Rodriguez, Yates, Double, Plapp (Jayco), and Quintana remained in contention. Among them, Luke Plapp attacked with 500 meters to go and looked set for victory, but in the final 100 meters he was caught by Scaroni and Rodriguez, with the Astana duo claiming both the Jabal Al Akhdar stage and the overall title.
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