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 2, which is estimated to start and finish at 07:35 and 12:20CET.
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.
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Profile Al Rustaq Fort - Yitti Hills
Stage 2: Al Rustaq Fort - Yitti Hills, 191 kilometers
The second stage of the race is the one best suited to the puncheurs, and will provide an interesting challenge between them and the sprinters. The stage features some climbing late on after a flat start, with a climb of 3.7 kilometers at 8.8% ending with 41 kilometers to go.
Then two smaller ones, one of 1 kilometer at 8.5% which ends with a mere 14 kilometers to go, and the second coinciding with the finish. This will be in the Yitti Hills, a 1.8-kilometer long climb at 5.4%, however one where the first half has some much steeper gradients and will quickly take the riders to the limit.
Prediction Tour of Oman 2026 stage 2:
*** Axel Zingle, Christian Scaroni, Mauro Schmid
** Valentin Paret-Peintre, Roger Adrià
* William Lecerf Junior, Quentin Pacher, Diego Ulissi, Alberto Bettiol, Vincenzo Albanese, Luke Plapp, Rick Pluimers, Amaury Capiot, Bryan Coquard
** Valentin Paret-Peintre, Roger Adrià
* William Lecerf Junior, Quentin Pacher, Diego Ulissi, Alberto Bettiol, Vincenzo Albanese, Luke Plapp, Rick Pluimers, Amaury Capiot, Bryan Coquard
Pick: Mauro Schmid
How: Reduced bunch sprint
Original: Rúben Silva
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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