Thursday 14 / November / 2024
Muscat: The organising committee of the Tour of Oman 2024 for Cycling revealed on Thursday, February 8, 2024, the details of the 13 edition, which will begin today Friday, February 9, 2024 with the participation of 17 teams, including 9 international teams from Europe, Asia, America, and Australia, with a total of 119 professional cyclists.
Saif bin Sabaa Al-Rashidi, President of the Omani Cycling Federation, said during the press conference held at the Grand Hormuz Hotel in Muscat Governorate that the organization of the Tour of Oman comes from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth in cooperation with the Omani Cycling Federation and a number of government and private agencies and will continue until February 14 of this year.
He added that the tour begins with the Muscat Classic race, with a total distance of 174.5 km, which will be held for the second time in a row before the actual opening of the tour competitions next Saturday. He stated that the stages of the 13 edition of the Tour of Oman 2024 for bicycles include 5 stages with a path of 867.4 kilometers between the terrain and landscapes of the Sultanate of Oman, where the first stage of the tour will begin on Saturday, 10 February, in front of the Oman Across Ages Museum in the Governorate of Al Dakhiliyah, the stage will conclude in the Governorate of Muscat, specifically in front of the Oman Convention and Exhibition Center, with a distance of 181.5 km, while the second stage begins on Sunday, February 11, from the Al Sifah area until the end of the stage in the Wilayat of Quriyat, with a distance of 170.5 km.
He stated that the third stage will be held on Monday, February 12th, and will start from the Wilayat of Bidbid, passing through the Wilayat of Samail, and conclude in the Eastern Mountain in the Wilayat of Al Hamra, at a distance of 169.5 km, while the fourth stage begins on Tuesday, February 13th, from in front of Al Rustaq Fort in the South Al Batinah Governorate to the Yiti Heights in the Muscat Governorate with a distance of 207.5 km, the fifth and final stage of the tour will be held on Wednesday, February 14, and starts from the Amti area in the Wilayat of Izki in Al Dakhiliyah Governorate until the closing point of the stage in Jabal Al Akhdar, with a distance of 138.7 km.
He explained that the Tour of Oman, in its thirteenth edition, attracts a number of the most prominent and glorious riders in the world, as the Tour is considered one of the most prominent sporting events and competitions that international competitors and other cycling enthusiasts await. Past editions of the competition witnessed the coronation of many winners, including: Fabian Cancellara and Vincenzo Nibali. Chris Froome, and many other international champions in cycling.
Al-Rashidi stated that the 13th edition of the Tour will witness the participation of our national cycling team for the third time in the championship with a crew consisting of seven riders: Abdul Rahman bin Marhoon Al-Yaqoubi, Mazen bin Saeed Al-Riyami, Mohammed bin Ahmed Al-Wahaibi, Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Ghailani, Munther bin Abdullah Al-Hassani, and Saeed bin Ibrahim Al Rahbi, and Saif bin Khamis Al Ameri, in addition to a number of international champions, including cyclist Yates, who ranked third in the French Tour Championship 2023, and Norwegian cyclist Alexander Kristoff, as well as cyclist Kelly Ewan, cyclist Fabio Jacobson, cyclist Brian Coquard, and cyclist Isak del Toro, Cyclist Paul Magnet, cyclist Anthony Hobby, and cyclist Alexis Feuer Prost.
He pointed out that the Tour of Oman attracted about twenty-five to thirty-five million connections to local and international television stations, thus becoming the main global sporting event on local and international television screens, and an estimated one hundred and fifty to two hundred broadcast hours annually.
He confirmed that the rights to broadcast the Tour of Oman were competed for by many international stations such as Eurosport, Sky Sports, CNN, Rai Sport, BBC, RTVI and France Two. (SRG), (SSR), (Reuters), (Euro News), (Sky RT), and other stations that are watched by millions of viewers daily.
It is noteworthy that the six routes were selected according to a set of technical, logistical and tourism criteria that are suitable for the implementation of road cycling races.
