Preview Tour of Oman 2026 stage 1 - Juan Sebastián Molano and Gerben Thijssen the main favourites to win opening sprint
CyclingThursday, 05 February 2026 at 18:59
From the 7th to the 11th of February the peloton takes on the Tour of Oman, the continuation of the Middle Eastern calendar, with a stage-race that features sprints, explosive days and steep mountains. We preview stage 1, which is estimated to start and finish at 07:35 and 11:50CET.
Meanwhile the Tour of Oman has grown since its debut in 2010 into one of the most respected early-season stage races outside Europe. Organized by (ASO), the race became a regular fixture on the UCI calendar, first as part of the UCI Asia Tour and, more recently, in the UCI ProSeries—a status it retains in 2026. It is a traditional early-season race for many years now, chosen by the riders due to the warm weather conditions, variety of stage profiles and also proper climbing tests early in the year.
The race has a list of winners that is to say the least enviable. Fabian Cancellara won its first edition back in 2010, whilst over the years Chris Froome has used the race twice and won the overall classification - one against Alberto Contador and Cadel Evans; Vincenzo Nibali won it back in 2016 before conquering the Giro d'Italia; and other top riders such as Matteo Jorgenson and Adam Yates have now won the most recent editions in the 2020's. In 2025 Yates defended his title successfully, having consistency in the race's climbs to bring UAE a top victory.
Profile: Ministry of Tourism - Bimmah Sink Hole
Stage 1: Ministry of Tourism, Bimmah Sink Hole, 171 kilometers
The race starts off with an interesting stage, designed for the sprinters, but with a very steep ascent right at the start of the stage with almost 4 kilometers at 9%. The fast men are likely to be the ones that will take to the front however by the time the riders arrive to the Bimmah Sink Hole after 171 kilometers.
Prediction Tour of Oman 2026 stage 1:
*** Juan Sebastián Molano, Gerben Thijssen
** Stanislaw Aniolkowski, Madis Mihkels, Jensen Plowright
* Emilien Jeannière, Erlend Blikra, Bryan Coquard, Stefan de Schuyteneer, Thibau Gruel, Fernando Gaviria, Amaury Capiot, vincenzo Albanese, Ivan García Cortina
** Stanislaw Aniolkowski, Madis Mihkels, Jensen Plowright
* Emilien Jeannière, Erlend Blikra, Bryan Coquard, Stefan de Schuyteneer, Thibau Gruel, Fernando Gaviria, Amaury Capiot, vincenzo Albanese, Ivan García Cortina
Pick: Juan Sebastián Molano
How: Regular bunch sprint
Original: Rúben Silva
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