Results Tour of Oman 2026 | Christian Scaroni overturns Schmid to seize GC for Astana on Jebel Akhdar

Christian Scaroni completed a decisive final-stage overhaul at the Tour of Oman, powering to victory on the brutal slopes of Jebel Akhdar to secure the overall classification on the final day.

Starting stage 5 just four seconds behind overnight leader Mauro Schmid, Scaroni delivered when it mattered most. As the race hit the 5.7 km climb at 10.4 per cent, the GC fight finally cracked open after four tightly controlled days.

The decisive moment came inside the final two kilometres. After Adam Yates launched the first serious acceleration, the group of favourites splintered. Schmid was the first GC rider to show signs of distress, struggling to hold the pace as Scaroni positioned himself perfectly just behind the accelerations.

When Scaroni launched his own move in the final kilometre, there was no response. He surged clear to win the stage outright, a double blow that sealed both the stage victory and the overall classification in one stroke.

Behind him, team-mate Cristian Rodriguez crossed the line in second on the stage, underlining XDS Astana’s control of the finale, while Luke Plapp salvaged third place on the stage after a late acceleration.

The outcome capped a race defined by minimal gaps. Schmid had carried the leader’s jersey through stages 3 and 4, but the short, steep nature of Jebel Akhdar once again proved decisive, continuing a Tour of Oman tradition where the final mountain finish regularly reshapes the general classification.

For Scaroni, it marked his second GC victory in as many seasons, following his success at the 2025 Tour des Alpes-Maritimes, and confirmed his growing reputation as a rider capable of delivering under maximum pressure.

Schmid, having defended superbly all week, was ultimately unable to respond when the pure climbers made their move, slipping from first to off the podium on the final ascent.