The 13th Tour of Oman, scheduled for 10 to 14 February, will serve up a five-course menu catering to all tastes, from sprinters and punchers to climbers. Its two iconic climbs —Eastern Mountain (stage 3) and Green Mountain (stage 5) will be tough nuts to crack at this point in the season.
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© Amaury Sport Organisation - www.aso.fr
More information on :
http://www.tour-of-oman.com/fr
https://www.facebook.com/tourofoman
https://twitter.com/tourofoman
Official Hashtag : #TourofOman
© Amaury Sport Organisation - www.aso.fr
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SportTranscription
00:00 Welcome to Oman, a glorious country full of varied terrain and dramatic racing, always closely fought.
00:07 The Tour of Oman itself won by a single second last year, but also we enjoyed the Muscat Classic.
00:12 Same format this year, another quality field set to take on both events.
00:17 I like it there, this race I won there many times.
00:25 A furious sprint, but the line is coming, it's Kristoff who takes it.
00:30 But it's a few years ago since I was here, so...
00:33 And the courses have been maybe slightly tougher now the last couple of years, so we will see how I can go on in these stages.
00:41 It's the first time for me, so yeah, it's good to be here, but there's only one sprint I think, so...
00:50 Not so many opportunities for me, but I think it's going to be good preparation for the races to come as well.
00:55 New team, new season, first race of the year, so yeah, we're excited to begin tomorrow.
01:02 It's a really strong team, we already started the season really well in Mallorca, and I hope to continue there with some victory and I hope also the GC.
01:17 The team has a good history here and we'll go for a good run in the GC, but I think mainly if we can get a stage win then it's a success, so we go for stage wins.
01:28 I just want to come out with a good feeling. If I can take a win and the legs are good, then that would be fantastic.
01:36 Marco has come out and he's actually raced the season quite well, so I'm excited to be here and we'll see what the legs give us.
01:44 Oman is the right place and the stages have been chosen carefully to give the rider the satisfaction which they are looking for.
01:52 It's a combination of everything, it's nature, infrastructure, topography, all this package gives the rider the joy which they are looking for.
02:05 So, an early season test in near perfect temperatures, this the second edition of the Muscat Classic.
02:13 And this is what we're dealing with, 1940 metres of altitude gain, a route of 174 kilometres in total, with six tough, pushy climbs.
02:23 Finishing loop of 65 kilometres that includes a repeat of two punishing tests, hitting over 10%. This is no easy task.
02:34 Well, the call didn't exactly go out for volunteers to be in the breakaway, but three took a step forward.
02:40 Ishibashi from the JCL team, Tegadi and Lakashek joining the fun for the Terranago squad.
02:48 Well, the gap was up to over nine minutes at one point. Chase wasn't exactly dedicated, but it was the climbs that were having an impact on the break.
02:57 Lakashek went, leaving two up front now. How would they cope? Who was the strongest? Who was taking the bigger turn out there? That was the question.
03:05 Well, nobody attempted to follow. The gap went up to nine minutes and 50 at one point.
03:10 And then finally it came down to one man standing, but could he be joined? That was the big question.
03:16 Well, the man who picked up the mantle was Emil Herzog from Bora-Hansgrohe.
03:23 Given the ticket to ride by Bernie Eisel. First of all, he was collecting Tegadi and then Ishibashi was in his sights.
03:32 Well, they shared the duty up front. Meanwhile, the chase wasn't exactly settled, I have to tell you.
03:40 And finally, Herzog decided that this day had to be grasped by the nettle.
03:48 Everybody woke up. Big turns were catching a few out as well out there. In the end, Herzog just didn't have what it took.
03:55 And then it was the fold over. Who would go next? Finn Fischer-Black, the Kiwi on great form, decided just to distance the pack on the final climb.
04:04 Could he possibly make it all the way home?
04:07 Well, they were trying to stop him, but with two kilometers to go, it was a tenuous gap with a final corner around the Dow that marked out our finish line.
04:17 He climbed the ramp up to home. He carried it all the way. What a spectacular win it turned out for the young Kiwi.
04:24 He couldn't believe it and neither could the chasers. Heartbreak for those in pursuit here at the Muscat Classic.
04:33 Finn Fischer-Black takes it for UE Team Emirates ahead of Luc Lamperti of Sudal Quick-Step.
04:41 Amiri Shapiro making up the podium, denying Brian Cocquart on the throne.
04:46 200 meters from the line, you're thinking there's a scenario that they could come back.
04:49 So it's really like there's a moment maybe 20 meters to go and you realize you really do have it. And then that's when you realize you won.
04:56 A great winner of only the second Muscat Classic. We'll be back, and so will Finn Fischer-Black, you can be sure.
05:04 [Music]
05:17 (bubbling)