2016 Tour of Oman
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| UCI Asia Tour | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dates | 16–21 February 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 911 km (566.1 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2016 Tour of Oman was a road cycling stage race that took place between 16 and 21 February 2016 in Oman. It was the seventh edition of the Tour of Oman and is rated as a 2.HC race as part of the 2016 UCI Asia Tour. The previous year's champion, Rafael Valls, was not present to defend his title.[1]
Eighteen teams were invited to take part in the race. These included nine UCI WorldTeams and nine UCI Professional Continental teams.[2]
UCI WorldTeams
UCI Professional Continental teams
Pre-race favourites
The Tour of Oman comes towards the beginning of the road cycling season. It follows two other races in the Middle East: the Dubai Tour and the Tour of Qatar, which in 2016 were won by Marcel Kittel (Etixx–Quick-Step) and Mark Cavendish (Team Dimension Data respectively.[3][4] The Dubai Tour and the Tour of Qatar are focused particularly on sprinters and classics riders, but the Tour of Oman is an opportunity for the climbers to compete for overall victory, with the climb of Jebel Akhdar normally decisive. Many riders who compete for the Grand Tours and the Ardennes classics start the race as part of their preparation, although increased competition from early-season European races meant that the start list for the 2016 Tour of Oman was not as strong as in some previous editions.[3]
The champion of the 2015 edition was Rafael Valls, who was then riding for Lampre–Merida but had moved to Lotto–Soudal for the 2016 season. Lotto–Soudal was not among the teams invited to the race, so Valls was not present to defend his title.[2][5] In his absence, the contenders for overall victory included Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), who had won on Jebel Akhdar in 2012, and Richie Porte (BMC Racing Team), who had won the queen stage of the Tour Down Under. Other strong riders included the AG2R La Mondiale riders Romain Bardet and Domenico Pozzovivo, Team Giant–Alpecin's Tom Dumoulin, Etixx–Quick-Step's Dan Martin, Lampre–Merida's Rui Costa and Fortuneo–Vital Concept's Eduardo Sepúlveda.[3]
The varied stages in the Tour of Oman meant that several different kinds of riders started the race. These included sprinters such as Sam Bennett (Bora–Argon 18), Alexander Kristoff (Team Katusha), Sacha Modolo (Lampre–Merida), Andrea Guardini (Astana) and Moreno Hofland (LottoNL–Jumbo). The hilly finishes also attracted classics riders such as Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), Davide Rebellin (CCC–Sprandi–Polkowice) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Dimension Data).[3]
Route
The 2016 race is scheduled to include six stages. This included one flat stage, three hilly stages, one stage with an uphill finish to Qurayyat and the queen stage finishing on Jebel Akhdar (the Green Mountain) where previous editions of the race have been decided. The climb of Jebel Akhdar was extended from previous races: it continued 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) from the former finish line up to the top of the climb.[6][3]
| Stage | Date | Route | Distance | Type | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 February | Oman Exhibition Center to Al Bustan | 145.5 km (90 mi) |  | Hilly stage |  Bob Jungels (LUX) |
| 2 | 17 February | Omantel Head Office to Qurayyat | 162 km (101 mi) | | Hilly stage |  Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) |
| 3 | 18 February | Al Sawadi Beach to Naseem Park | 176.5 km (110 mi) |  | Flat stage | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) |
| 4 | 19 February | Muscat to Jebel Akhdar | 177 km (110 mi) |  | Mountain stage |  Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) |
| 5 | 20 February | Yiti to Ministry of Tourism | 119.5 km (74 mi) | | Hilly stage | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) |
| 6 | 21 February | Muscat to Matrah Corniche | 130.5 km (81 mi) | | Hilly stage | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) |
