After two years of absence, the Tour of Oman (2.Pro, 10-15/02) in the sultanate of the Middle East returns on the calendar with a six day race.
The sprinters have three opportunities to battle for the stage win, in the first stage towards capital Muscat, the second one towards former capital Sohar and the closing stage finishing in Matrah. Next to the crosswinds, differences in the individual classification can be made on the explosive final in Qurayyat (2.8km at 6.5%), the hilly fourth stage with three repetitions of the Boushar Al Amerat (4km at 6.6%) and the queen stage towards the Jabal Al Akhdar (Green Mountain) (6km at 9.9%) te next day.
Rein Taaramäe and Jan Hirt will start their 2022 season with a second participation to the Tour of Oman. Belgian riders Tom Devriendt and Kévin Van Melsen, Danish rider Julius Johansen and Frenchman Hugo Page complete the line up under the direction of Valerio Piva.
« Thanks to Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux and its passionate staff, I became myself again. Five years after my last Grand Tour stage win, I managed to repeat this performance in 2021. In sports, each aspect has to be perfect to be able to keep performing year after year. Concerning myself, the support of the direction was key in overcoming my career slump. I gained confidence thanks to the long term plan of Aike Visbeek, and under the direction of Valerio Piva I became a Grand Tour leader for the first time in my career, at the age of 34. I want to continue chasing succes in 2022 and win races. It doesn’t matter which ones, as each victory is big on this level. I also want to perform in support of Louis Meintjes and play a role in the development of young talents such as Kobe Goossens. I expect to be ready for the start of the season, as I feel better as twelve months ago. I just finished three weeks of altitude camp in Rwanda, where I managed to execute all training plans. The battle for the general classification in the Tour of Oman is a nice first challenge. »
Tour of Oman:
Stage 1 (10/02): Al Rustaq – Oman Exhibition & Convention Center (138,1 km)
Stage 2 (11/02): Naseem Garden – Sohar Corniche (167,3 km)
Stage 3 (12/02): Sultan Qaboos University – Qurayyat (180,1 km)
Stage 4 (13/02): Al Sifah – Muscat Royal Opera (119,3 km)
Stage 5 (14/02): Sama’il – Jabal Al Akhdhar (154,2 km)
Stage 6 (15/02): Al Mouj – Matrah Corniche (132,3 km)
