Friday 20 / December / 2024
Tour of Oman 2024 is set to begin on Saturday from the Oman Across Ages Museum to the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC) with 17 teams representing well-known teams from Asia, Australia, Europe and the US. The race's organising committee will unveil the details of the 13th edition of Tour of Oman in a press meeting scheduled for Thursday at Hurmoz Grand Hotel at 12:00 pm (Muscat time) in the presence of domestic and international media representatives besides the race officials.
Before the Tour of Oman 2024 starts, the second edition of the Muscat Classic will kick off on Friday on a 174.3 km course, finishing on a 1.1 km with an average gradient of 10% climb that is the perfect launch pad for a puncher to launch a searing attack. One day, the Muscat Classic event will be organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth in coordination with the Oman Cycling Association (OCA) and many government and private entities. The Muscat Classic event will start from Al Mouj Muscat and conclude in Al Bustan. As many as 17 teams, including the Oman International team, will participate in the race on Friday.
Tour of Oman 2024 will witness five stages covering a total distance of 867.4 km with two bonus sprints from stages 1 to 5. The opening route on Saturday will begin from the Oman Across Ages Museum until the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC) with a distance of 181.5km, while the following day, the stage will start from As Sifah to Qurayya, covering a distance of 170.4 km. The third-day route will be from Bidbid until Eastern Mountain on Monday within a 169.3 km. The fourth round of the race will start from Al Rustaq Fort to Yitti Hills, with a distance of 207.5km on Tuesday. The concluding of the tour will be scheduled on Wednesday as the race will begin in Imty (Izki) and finish in Jabal Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain) for a distance of 138.7 km.
Alexander Kristoff, the most prolific stage hunter in the history of the race, is determined to take his tally to 10 victories. Still, he will have to contend with rivals such as Caleb Ewan, Fabio Jakobsen, Bryan Coquard, and the precocious Paul Magnier, who let his raw speed do the talking in Spain for the first race of the season. The Norwegian will have but one shot at this goal, considering that the summit finish of stage 2 to Qurayyat, a 2.6 km ascent at an average gradient of 7%, is probably more than he can handle.
The national cycling team, led by Technical expert Waleed al Zamni and head coach Maher al Hasnawi and Marwan al Zinaqi, will participate in this edition of Tour of Oman 2024 with a crew of seven riders. It will be a great chance for the domestic riders to gain the required technical experience among the world-ranking riders and the international teams in the world-class race. The first edition of the Tour of Oman was held in 2010, and this is the 13th edition of the race. Oman cyclist team comprised Abdul Rahman al Yaqoobi, Mazin al Riyami, Mohammed al Wahaibi, Abdullah al Ghilani, Munther al Hasani, Said al Rahbi and Saif al Amri.
